A/N: Happy holidays, everyone! As a heads up, the next update will be coming around March in a few months or so due to university and work in general. Hopefully, you'll all still be hanging around till then! Thank you for the new follows, favs, and reviews! I'm always checking for comments so feel free to give out criticism or say anything else that concerns you!
Also, there have been a few pm's about fanart. Of course, I don't mind at all! In fact, I'd be happy to see all your lovely artwork. It makes me really happy to see all your comments and interest in my story. Thanks a lot!
[Chapter 18 - Ignorance isn't Bliss]
"What the hell is going on?"
"Like I said, we're having a party!"
"...What?"
"Earth to Shiro-chan~ did you not hear me the first time? I said we're having a party!"
"...In here?"
"Let the Insect Meet and Greet commence!"
"...WHAT THE FUCK?"
Kokichi was always unpredictable. As much as he was a logical thinker during trials, outside of business, his thoughts were a trainwreck. Although I knew that already, nothing could've prepared me for this moment.
I stared at him like he had sprouted a second head. "No, seriously, what the fuck?!"
"Calm down, Shirayuki." Rantaro was standing eerily still in the corner of the cramped room. His smile was as bright and gentlemanly as ever, but only those with trained eyes could spot the underlying malice simmering beneath the surface. "Let's just listen to Kokichi's explanation first, shall we?"
Kokichi flinched under Rantaro's uncomfortable smile. "Aww, don't be so mad! I have a perfectly good reason for this, I swear!"
Tenko's eyes narrowed. "That's got to be one of your biggest lies yet."
"I cannot help but agree with that statement," Kiibo sighed, shaking his head in exhaustion. "And here I thought I would get to have a relaxing evening."
"Kekeke, yes, relaxing being the keyword. Pray to tell me what kind of relaxation you are talking about?" Korekiyo's eyes flashed with curiosity. "Perhaps it is what I witnessed earlier today in the Dining Hall where Miu was all over you and—"
"NO, NOT THAT!" Steam drifted out from the top of Kiibo's head as he protested earnestly. "I SWEAR IT ISN'T THAT!"
Kaede only awkwardly chuckled. "I really don't want to know what happened there..."
"Me neither," Shuichi grimly agreed with a resigned look on his face.
"Kokichi," I turned towards him with my hands on my hips. I gave him the most intimidating glare I could muster up. "You better start explaining now, mister."
Kokichi only grinned back in response, brushing off my anger. "Now, now. We're still waiting for a few more people!"
As if on cue, the door slammed open. Gonta poked his head inside and smiled. "Ah! Everyone still here! That's good. Gonta, uh, found Angie!" He stepped through the door with Angie staggering behind him, face pale.
"Nyaha...hahaha...ha..." Angie groaned as she leaned against the doorframe. "That was...too much...exercise...nyahahaha!"
"Angie? I thought you were supposed to be helping Himiko now." I frowned. "We switched shifts, didn't we?"
"Well, that was the plan, but Gonta forcefully dragged me over here! I managed to hide Himiko behind our props in the gym, so she's still safe, though." Angie explained as she brushed the sweat off her forehead.
Tenko was chewing on her lips but refused to say anything. My eyebrows creased in confusion at her timid actions, but I decided to think nothing of it. Instead, I focused my attention back towards Angie.
"Uh, you just spilled the beans about Himiko's hiding place to us all, didn't you?" I sweatdropped. "Gonta's right in front of you, you know?"
Angie blinked rapidly. Then, she lightly bopped her head with her hand and flashed a sheepish look with her tongue hanging out. "Nyahahaha! Whoopsie Daisy! I made a mistake!"
"No, seriously! Don't make such an obvious mistake!" I groaned in exasperation. "Well, Himiko probably knows when to escape. Maybe she's safe inside her own room already."
"Not for long, though!" Kokichi suddenly chimed into the conversation, holding a few screwdrivers and forks in his hands. "Because I can just pick her lock open!" His eyes glinted mischievously, and I slapped him on the head on instinct.
"Can you not be a creep?" I chastised in annoyance. "Also, when are you going to explain to us what the hell is going on here?!"
"Well, we're basically here to appreciate the insects!" Kokichi tilted his head to the side innocently as he announced.
"Stop lying!" We all pointed our index finger at him, making Kokichi pout.
"Geez, at times like these, you guys are just soooo in harmony." Crocodile tears were dripping out of Kokichi's eyes as he sniffed. "W-Why is everyone so mean to be? I just wanted to be friends with everyone, so I brought you all here to hang out with me!"
"Kokichi, I swear to god, if you don't start talking truthfully, I'll shove your head into one of these tanks—" I started as I stomped furiously towards him with balled fists, ready to strike if the opportunity arose.
"Let's watch each other's motive videos!" My sentence was cut short at his sudden proclamation. "We're holding a screening party for everyone's motive videos~ oh, and yeah, the uh insect thing too."
Gonta nodded enthusiastically from the sideline, and one could only stare with envy at his ignorance towards the storm brewing in everyone's minds. Then again, his innocence was what landed him in the hot seat as Kokichi's sidekick to begin with.
"...W-What did you say?" Kaede was the first to break the tension in the air. "Do you know what you're even suggesting?!"
"Mhm, I do. That's why I suggested it!" Kokichi beamed.
"We can't do that! Don't you know what will happen if we do that?!" Kiibo immediately protested.
Kokichi frowned and tilted his head to the side in an innocent manner. "Um, everyone will know their motive, and a murder will be more likely to happen?" He leaned forward towards us and balled his fists in determination. "But I like to play on mean difficulty! Also, I don't run from an RPG battle. Ever. I want to win this game, so I won't run from it. I'll crush it!"
I internally sighed in exasperation at his words.
This guy just keeps mixing in the truth with the lies until no one can tell what's what anymore. I know you want to stop the Killing Game, but the way you're phrasing it makes it sound like you think people's lives are, in fact, a game to play with. Damn it, Kokichi!
"...Are you saying your actions are in our best interest?" Shuichi pondered, gazing off to the side in deep thought.
Kokichi shrugged, brushing off everyone's hostile stares. "I warned you guys already. We shouldn't cooperate with each other." He trailed off, raising his pitch higher up a notch. "Plus, if I'm going to do this, then I gotta enjoy myself and just go all the way!" He cheered as he raised his hands into the air. "If the thought of playing a death game doesn't excite you, you'll never win. Understand?"
I facepalmed, my groan muffled under my own hand. Somebody, stop him before he self-destructs from his own lies— oh wait, that's my job.
"Kokichi, have you ever heard about this thing called tact?" I sighed loudly. "You really need to brush up on your communication skills because everyone is missing your point."
"Shh, I'm talking, Shiro-chan," Kokichi shot me an annoyed glare. "What happened to you? You usually keep your lectures until we're alone."
I crossed my arms in defiance and shot back a glare that screamed, 'you happened, dick.' "Fine, do whatever you want. Get misunderstood for all I care."
Shuichi just glanced back and forth between Kokichi and me, confusion whirling in his eyes. "Uh, so what do you actually mean, Kokichi? Or Shirayuki can explain it in a way we can all understand."
"Oh, wow!" Kokichi pouted for the umpteenth time that evening. "You trust her words more than mine? That's not fair!"
"No shit sherlock," everyone deadpanned much to Kokichi's chagrin.
Although I felt kind of guilty watching Kokichi sulk, it honestly felt kind of rewarding. "In your face, Kokichi," I smirked.
He shot me a glare, but I knew there was no animosity behind those burning orbs of his. He knew he was in the wrong, after all. But being the untrusting idiot he was, I could only watch him crash and burn. No words could stop him from destroying himself, and I knew that more than anyone.
I can't stop you, but at least I'll be there when you fall.
"Anyway, I tried to warn you guys, you know," Kokichi changed the topic. "I told you that we shouldn't cooperate with each other. Plus, if I'm going to do this, I might as well go all the way! If the thought of playing a death game doesn't excite you, you'll never win! Understand?"
"That is quite the twisted view, Kokichi," Rantaro snapped, raising his voice. From the way Kokichi's eyes widened, it was obvious he was not expecting Rantaro to speak up. "Perhaps there's a better way for you to tell us to take things more seriously? For example, honestly telling us, we shouldn't work together so that the mastermind doesn't retaliate with harsher rules."
"Don't bother, Rantaro," I scoffed. "It'll just fall on deaf ears."
"Huh? I don't understand," Kaede frowned. "How is working together so bad for our situation? We can't get out of here if we don't all cooperate!"
"That's too naive, Kaede," I interjected. "The point is, showing that we're all a tight-knit community will only anger the mastermind more. If the game reaches a stand-still again, there's no telling what else they might do. Did you forget what happened with Tsumugi?"
Kaede shut her lips tight, contemplating my words.
"Then what are you suggesting we do?" Korekiyo asked, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. "Perhaps you're saying that Kokichi is in the right for holding this, uh, what did he call it, the insect meet and greet?"
"Well, his method's obviously shitty, but I believe he has the right intentions in mind," I explained with a shrug.
"Shiro-chan, don't—" Kokichi started, only for Rantaro to cut him off.
"Kokichi, for once, believe. Seriously," Rantaro softly said, his eyes crinkling with genuine worry this time. Almost pleading, really. "Trust in us for once."
"How can I when we don't even know if the mastermind's in our ranks right now?" Kokichi yelled back, uncharacteristically for once.
"Well, you also don't know if there isn't the mastermind in our ranks, right?" I argued back.
"True, but everyone has an equal chance of being the mastermind," Kokichi glared. Although this was our usual banter, I couldn't help but visibly wince at the word 'equal.' "Everyone is possibly a deceptive betrayal, waiting to happen. I'd rather be safe than sorry, Shiro-chan."
Shuichi glanced back and forth between us, unsure what to do. The rest of the crew were also confused but chose to stay silent.
"Uh, guys? I don't know what's going on, but don't fight, please!" Kaede was the only one who jumped into the fight, but both Kokichi and I ignored her. This was our fight to settle, not hers.
"We're all scared too," I clenched my fists, staring down at the ground as my voice shook. "We had that whole thing with Tsumugi a few days ago. We all know that everything could've been a lie — that someone who we thought of like our friend could've been a phony fake this whole time." My head snapped up as I glared back at him with slightly dampened eyes. "But even so, I want to try to believe. Even if it's dangerous, I want to try and believe in everyone."
And I want to believe in you, Kokichi. Though I didn't say it out loud, it was obvious from the way his eyes wavered that he understood the sentiment. But his hesitance was gone in a second like a fleeting dream, and Kokichi snorted out loud, eyes filled with disdain. "What are you, some third-rate protagonist from some RPG game? Anyway, I want to win this game, so I'll do what I have to."
He turned his attention back to Gonta and flashed a frolic smile. "Anyway, Gonta! Shall we get this party started? I'll be back in a second! Follow me after you're ready~" He hummed a cheery tune and skipped out the door.
"H-Hold on," I took a step after him, only to have Gonta block my way with his outstretched arm.
"Shirayuki, aren't you going to stay? The insect meet and greet about to start! Gonta so happy to share Gonta's friends with everyone!" Gonta nudged me back inside the room with his hands.
"O-Okay, okay, I get it! Just get it over with already..." I gave up on resisting after seeing the innocent and carefree expression on Gonta's face. Really, who could ever say no to such an angel like him?
"It's around 8 pm right now, but I'll be back before night-time in 2 hours! See you all later for the movie screening~" Kokichi popped his head inside the room once more, waving mischievously before he snuck out.
"Wait, so what on earth is going on?" Tenko scratched her head furiously in annoyance. "That brat never explained anything in the end!"
"Kehehe, he's just trying to trick us as usual. There is no need to pay him any attention," Korekiyo shrugged. "Let him be."
"Nyahaha, Kokichi is such an amusing and entertaining guy!" Angie spoke up. "Even Atua can't read his actions."
"So...what's about to happen, exactly?" Kiibo turned to Gonta with a frown. "This Insect Meet and Greet thing...what is it?"
"I'm assuming you mean to show us your insect friends?" Rantaro questioned.
Gonta nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm! Gonta want everyone to appreciate insects more! And that's why Gonta will let everyone have fun with them!"
"Uh...how do you plan on doing that...?" Shuichi nervously glanced around the room, a sense of dread pooling in his stomach.
"D-Don't tell me," Kaede stammered as she slid a few steps back towards the wall. "Y-You're going to—"
"Here we go!" Gonta suddenly yelled as he ran around, unlocking the cages.
My face went ashen as I watched the huge swarm of bugs flying all over the room. The specimens gave off the appearance of vigor and vitality, soaring around at lightning speed. With the exit locked and blocked by Gonta, all we could do was sprint around, rolling on the ground, scrambling to escape the hoard of insects.
"HOLY SHIT—" I screamed as I crawled against the floor, hiding in the corner of the room. "This is just a nightmare. Yes, it's totally just a nightmare. It's all just a bad dream," I chanted to myself repeatedly like a religious fanatic. "I'm in a dream right now, oh yeah, totally in a dream—" My voice cut off as a huge bee landed on my shoulder.
I screeched in terror, repeatedly brushing it off my shoulder and ran over to the opposite side where Rantaro was succumbing to a hoard of grasshoppers on the floor. "R-Rantaro, are you okay?!"
"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly—" The sound of his voice was muffled by the sheer amount of insects on top of him, but I understood the panic he was feeling, just by the nonsense he was spewing.
"G-God damn it all...KOKICHI!" I yelled out his name in anger and continued running around like a headless chicken for who knows how long until the 'party' eventually ended.
"Everyone looks like they're having fun, so Gonta will leave for now! Gonta be back soon!" I heard Gonta's voice through the pandemonium and watched him slide out of the room, locking the door behind him.
~~O~~
"Sir, what should we do?"
The man dressed in black had his legs crossed on his chair as he stared at the wide-screen footage. He clicked his tongue once from a combination of spite, annoyance, and impatience. His fingers drummed against the wooden table in his office, sending discordant echoes reverberating throughout the room.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned forward, placing his chin on top of his folded hands. He watched with eyes blazing in silent fury at the girl, running around inside the insect room. "She's starting to become a nuisance."
"Yes, I can see that," his secretary shifted her glasses.
"It would be a huge wrench in our plans if that boy doesn't end up self-destructing in the end. If he manages to work together with the rest of them, there's no telling what he'd do," the man clicked his tongue again. "We have to stop this momentum."
The secretary frowned. "I'm aware that having them genuinely work together would be disadvantageous for us...but is it that big of a deal whether that boy is the one to bring them together?"
"Of course, it does. What are you talking about?" The man snapped. "The main point is, with that boy acting the way he's supposed to, it is impossible for them to truly work together. Although it sounds counterintuitive, him acting for their benefit is actually what causes discordance within the group."
"I-I see," his secretary stammered. "I apologize for not seeing that."
The man grunted. "There's nothing we can do about that boy. Maybe it was a mistake on our part for leaving him so intelligent."
"We could always get rid of him, can't we? Like how Miss Tsumugi tried to get rid of Rantaro," the secretary suggested.
"We only went with that plan because Tsumugi said she was sure she could get rid of him, and we know how that went. Besides, he's a fan-favorite character. Did you see his poll results from the last one we had? He's on the number one list for best character." He rolled his eyes.
"We can't out the other overseer this quickly. It's only the second round, for god sake!" The man slammed his fists on the table. "Damn it. We're at a stalemate."
"If we can't get rid of him, hopefully, someone will get rid of her. She's the one changing him, after all." The secretary pointed out. "Now, it's only a matter of whether a murder will happen after they just shared their ideas openly with each other..."
The man paused, a thought passing through his head. Then, he flickered the remote on his desk. "Wait. Let me check all the footage of everything that has occurred thus far today."
The secretary watched in silence as the director flipped through the different video cameras. Their eyes widened after each one. The secretary turned towards the director with a knowing look on her face. "S-Sir...this is..."
The man suddenly grinned, malice overflowing from every cell inside his body. He laughed out loud, sending shivers down the secretary's spine. "It appears we were worried for nothing. We don't actually need to do anything."
He sighed in relief, a cunning smile hanging on his lips. "Let the game start again."
~~O~~
"Hm, where is it?" Kokichi fiddled with the screwdrivers and paperclips in his hand, poking them inside the keyhole. He twisted and turned his fingers until a resounding click echoed down the hall. A wide grin made its way up onto his face. "Bingo!" He pushed open the door and made his way inside.
The room was minimally decorated — perhaps the least 'homey' of all the rooms he'd visited so far.
"Man, and here I thought Shiro-chan's room was boring enough. What is this, a prison?" Kokichi complained as he strolled around the room, searching through the drawers, closet, and even underneath the bed. His efforts were fruitless. The motive video was nowhere to be found. With a small click of his tongue, he frowned. "It's not here. This makes the third one..."
He muttered to himself as he glanced around the room one last time. "Guess I'll have to find them myself. Who would've thought three people would be missing the motive videos they got?"
Of course, there was simply the possibility that some of the students chose to keep the motive videos with them, but that was unlikely. After all, why would anyone feel the need to carry around someone else's motive video?
That is...unless...
A sly and knowing look plastered itself onto Kokichi's face as he suddenly cackled. "I see. So there were other people who broke our promise to keep the motive videos to ourselves."
His mind flashed back towards Shirayuki's speech from earlier. He narrowed his eyes and rumbled darkly, words acerbic and forthright. "See? This is what happens when you trust others so willingly, Shiro-chan. In the end, people betray you behind your back. Their words are all nothing but empty promises."
His eyes were blank as he stared in disdain at the empty room. "Then again, I guess I don't have the right to complain."
He spun around, eyes dark like polished coal with a hint of wistfulness, marching off towards his next destination. "After all, I'm the biggest hypocrite of them all."
~~O~~
No matter what anyone said, Gonta was sure that everyone was having a grand time learning about his insect friends. In fact, one could say that he was brimming with energy and pretty much shining with happiness as he casually searched the other rooms. Although he wanted to be there with his friends, teaching them about all the bugs in the world, he couldn't just leave Kokichi alone.
He had a lot of errands to run, after all.
With a quick rummage around, he grabbed all the motive videos he could find and quietly left the room, making sure to lock each and every door along the way. He was a gentleman, after all.
Gonta spotted Kokichi sliding out of Ryoma's room, and he ran over towards the boy. "Kokichi! Are you done?"
Kokichi's eyes were blank, but at the sight of Gonta, he immediately grinned brightly. "Oh, yeah! How'd it go on your end?"
"Gonta picked them all up!" Gonta beamed and proudly handed all the motive videos to Kokichi.
Kokichi accepted them with wide arms and bundled them up. "Nishishi, I knew I could count on you! Now, I still have some business to take care of. Thanks for everything~ oh and don't forget to lock the door!"
Gonta saluted with a million-dollar smile. "Okay!" Then he handed Kokichi back the keys to his Ultimate Lab.
After Kokichi ran out of the dormitory, Gonta turned back to Ryoma's room and entered it. "Hm, where is it?" Gonta mumbled to himself as he glanced around the room. His eyes landed on a particular object, and he gasped out. "Oh! There it is!"
Having finished all his errands, he slid out of the room and locked the door behind him. "Um, let's see, Gonta still has a few minutes left before night-time. Maybe Gonta should go searching for insects!"
He pranced out the dormitory and headed towards the courtyard, looking for new insect friends. The rest of that night, Gonta spent his time freely, unaware of all the sinister beings lurking around him.
~~O~~
It happened slightly before night-time. Maki knew the brat was coming for her. She had a sick feeling in her stomach the entire day, ever since Kaito invited her for a midnight training session in the courtyard. Of course, that was only one side of the story. There was another reason why she felt so murky and annoyed throughout the entire day.
As a well-trained assassin, her instincts were honed to the point where she could detect the slightest change in the tension within the air. Although the others seemed to think of her as an uninterested girl, she knew more than anyone what was going on behind the scenes.
Even if she wasn't there to see it, she knew something bad was about to happen. The rotten smell of danger and menace was everywhere tonight. And it only heightened when Kokichi showed up in front of her lab.
She scowled and glared hard at him with blood-shot eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Nishishi, don't give me that look, Maki-chan! I just wanted to confirm something with you~" Kokichi replied, eyes twinkling mischievously.
"If it's just a question, then ask quickly and leave." Maki narrowed her eyes at him. "But knowing you, that's not all you're here for, is it?"
Kokichi smirked. "As expected of miss loner here. You have a keen intuition for this kind of thing. Have you been spending a lot of time with like-minded individuals to me?"
Maki didn't answer, but her temper flared, heating up the air permeating the two of them. She gritted her teeth, clawing back what little air of civil competency she could manage. "What are you trying to say?" She managed to ask.
Kokichi placed on an innocent facade and backed off a few steps. He held his hands out in front of him in a defenseless manner. "Oh no, I didn't mean to irk you! I was just wondering if you've dealt with mischievous or evil masterminds like me before!"
Maki resisted the urge to snap his neck into two and settled for a low, resonating growl. "Get out of here before I kill you, kid."
Kokichi suddenly grinned widely. "Kill, huh? Use that word often?"
And that was it. Civility had flown out the window as Maki got all fired up, launching herself towards him. Kokichi quickly dodged to the left, barely missing her attack by a mere inch. Maki spun around and shot her arms out to grab the gremlin, who rolled across the floor, sprinting off into the distance.
"Nishishi! Catch me if you can~" Kokichi ran down the stairs with a cheery voice, dodging all of Maki's attacks as she ran after him.
She knew his plan. He was looking for the motive videos in her possession, and he couldn't get it without catching her off guard, thus this wild goose chase. Although she had no reason to play his game, a part of her felt that it was time to get rid of the biggest annoyance in her life.
Surely, no one would be sad with the gremlin gone.
~~O~~
Himiko slid open the secret compartment inside the stairs. She slowly poked her head out and cautiously scanned her surroundings. There was no sign of Angie or that terrifying Super-Saiyan monster that came prowling towards her earlier. With a heavy sigh of relief, she jumped out of the compartment.
When Gonta had come crashing through the door, Angie immediately shoved her inside the compartment, protecting her from his monstrous grasp. Aside from a few screams and shrieks on Angie's part, Himiko had absolutely no idea what had happened.
Then again, she guessed that Gonta probably hauled her friend somewhere. It wasn't any of her business, though maybe it was. She didn't know what Gonta had in mind, but she had other things to be worrying about.
Himiko walked around the gym, making sure that all her equipment was still in place and correctly positioned. After all, she couldn't risk anything being off the night before her grand performance.
Although this magic trick she planned was nothing compared to her usual performances, it still posed a fair amount of danger. She couldn't risk losing her life from her own magic. Being the cautious person she was, she made sure — twice — that everything was perfect and ready to go.
After a nod in satisfaction, she went backstage and grabbed her backpack. She managed to find one earlier from the Monomono machine and used it to carry all her tools of trade: her mage hat, the bottle of white powder she made earlier, and the motive video she carried around with her.
She stared at the motive video and frowned. Himiko had watched it. She knew what its contents were and what it implied for someone dear to her, but she chose not to say anything because everyone promised not to.
But even so, a part of her felt like she needed to share it with them. They deserved to know.
"I'll give it to her tomorrow," Himiko grumbled as she zipped up her bag and slid it on her back. Turning the lights off in the gym, she quietly slid out, just in time for the night-time announcement to echo down the hallway as she headed over towards her room.
She reached the dormitory and walked inside, only to halt from a sudden realization.
"...Nyeh?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Did I leave my bag unzipped earlier...?"
~~O~~
"Phew! Is that all of them?" Kaede wiped her forehead with the sleeves of her shirt.
"I-I think so, yeah..." Shuichi trailed off, launching himself into a coughing fit for air.
We all sighed in relief, some of us crashing down onto the ground as our legs gave way. I groaned, massaging the headache rising up to my temples. We had spent the past three hours, catching the bugs and placing them back inside their cage. There were still a few flying, creepy crawlies around, but by now, everyone was way too exhausted to deal with them.
"In the end, Kokichi never came back, did he?" Kiibo suddenly pointed out. "It's already way past night-time."
"Maybe something happened to him?" Rantaro suggested as he brushed the dirt off his outfit.
Tenko rolled her eyes from the opposite corner of the room. "Serves him right."
"I have to say, it is unlike him to...not keep his promises," Korekiyo hummed in amusement. "Perhaps something really did happen to him."
Angie just pranced around the room in her usual sing-song voice. "Nyahaha! I'm sure he'll be back soon. Surely, he won't let us starve in here to death!"
Kaede frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Don't say that. We're not going to die in here with all these insects around!"
Shuichi dryly laughed. "At least Kokichi was right about one thing: this was hell."
Everyone nodded weakly in silent agreement before the door suddenly clicked open. All eyes turned towards the door as Kokichi popped his head inside, sweat glistening on his forehead. "H-Hey guys! I'm back~ that took much longer than I expected!" He slid himself inside the door. "So, you guys okay? You all look like drowned sewer rats!"
"WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?!" We all pointed fingers at him.
Kokichi only laughed out loud, brushing our anger off. "Now now, forget the details! We can finally get this party started, you know?"
"Don't tell me you seriously went inside all our rooms and gathered all our motive videos..." Tenko glared at him. "How degenerate-like!"
"Yep! I did~ or at least, that's what I wanted to say..." He trailed off and sighed, crossing his arms. "I failed to acquire some of your motive videos. I wonder where the rest of them are, hm?"
Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "You mean some of us are missing our videos?"
Kokichi shook his head. "Oh no, I found all your motive videos in your rooms. The rest of the others who aren't here though...some of them didn't keep the motive videos in their room, so I had to run all over the campus looking for them!"
"So, that's why you were so late..." Rantaro deduced. "So how did it go? Judging from your behavior, it didn't end so well, did it?"
Kokichi pouted, clenching his fists in annoyance. "I couldn't find anyone! Why is everyone so good at hide-and-seek all of a sudden?!"
"Then why are you sweating so much?" I pointed out. "Looks like you just had one hell of a work-out."
Kokichi rolled his eyes. "Well, I was running around the whole school looking for everyone for three whole hours. That's a lot of exercise, you know?"
"So...are we doing this streaming session or not?" Korekiyo spoke up. "Kehehe, I wonder what kind of secrets will be exposed."
Kiibo flinched. "Why do you look so excited all of a sudden...?"
"Nah, let's not do that," Kokichi suddenly uttered out with a mischievous grin on his face.
I blinked my eyes rapidly. Then, my jaw dropped as I gaped at him. "W-WHAT?!"
He shrugged. "I changed my mind. We can't have a screening when I'm missing some of the videos, right? It'd be unfair to the others who aren't here as well if they're the only ones not watching!"
Rantaro's eyebrow shot up. "You're actually speaking sense for once."
"Oh shut up, Avocado. Veggies shouldn't speak!" Kokichi frowned. "Anyway, we'll do the video screening tomorrow instead. I'll get everyone else's videos during breakfast tomorrow, and then we can do a real screening! I can't wait~."
"Yeah, like hell we're going to let you do that!" Tenko screamed, glaring at him with contempt and hatred. "Give us back our motive videos, now!"
"Nu-uh! I'm holding onto these for safe-keeping. Don't worry! I won't watch them without your consent! We're all going to watch them together in the morning, after all," Kokichi shook his head. "So, just trust me and wait for a bit, okay?"
"You're asking us now to trust you? After everything you pulled tonight?" Kaede stared at him with disbelief. "You must be kidding!"
"Oh? I thought trusting others was your to-go motto, Kaede!" Kokichi snickered. "Have you changed your mind about your beliefs?"
"T-That's not what she was trying to say," Shuichi backed Kaede up. "Kokichi, if you have other plans for us, why don't you tell us now? At this rate, none of us can trust your words."
"Meh, trust is over-rated. I don't need that crap." Kokichi ignored Shuichi and suddenly snapped his fingers. "Monodam! You're still there outside the door, right?"
Without warning, the door burst open, and Monodam walked inside the room. "I-AM-HERE. WHAT-IS-WRONG?"
"Wha— why is he here?!" Tenko screeched, backing off towards the opposite end of the room.
"D-Did you call him here?!" Kiibo was sweating bullets as he stared at the robot. "How could you?!"
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I just spotted him outside the door. Maybe the mastermind sent him to watch over things," Kokichi shrugged. "Anyways, I'll leave these motive videos to you, Monodam!" Without warning, Kokichi dumped the pile of motive videos onto Monodam, who quickly gathered them up into his small, mechanical hands.
"WHAT-DO-YOU-WANT?" Monodam's robotic voice echoed throughout the room.
"I just want you to keep these with you for a while, just until tomorrow morning. That's fine with everyone, right?" Kokichi asked the rest of us. "Now, you can rest assure that I won't be watching these without your knowledge."
Everyone glanced at each other with hesitance whirling in their eyes. "W-Well, I guess it's better than if it was left with you," Tenko muttered out.
"The motive videos did belong to the Monokids, to begin with," Angie pointed out and shrugged. "Just let the kids have them back!"
"So yeah, anyway, sorry for all the commotion! See you all tomorrow morning!" Kokichi waved nonchalantly as he skipped out the door, leaving the rest of us stranded. An awkward silence filled the air.
"Uh, I guess, that's our cue to leave?" Kaede spoke up.
"Geez, in the end, why were we forced into this insect meet and greet?" Tenko complained. "And where's Gonta?"
"I thought he'd be coming back with Kokichi," Shuichi frowned.
Korekiyo shrugged. "Perhaps he got distracted by the possibility of finding insects in the courtyard."
"Or perhaps he has other pressing matters to attend to?" Angie suggested.
"Regardless, I think it's safe to assume we should all go to bed now. It is way past night-time," Rantaro sighed loudly. "I'll see you all tomorrow at the magic show before breakfast."
"Oh right," Angie nodded enthusiastically. "Don't forget to come to Himiko's magic show before breakfast! We're starting at 8 am sharp, so make sure you're there!"
Angie and Rantaro exited the lab while the rest of us followed. Kaede and Shuichi excused themselves to the courtyard, citing a midnight exercise session that they promised to attend with Kaito and Maki. Korekiyo was chuckling to himself for who-knows-what-reason the entire time as he walked out the door with Kiibo dragging himself along.
That left Tenko alone with me. She was staring absentmindedly outside the door, frozen in place. I turned towards her, striking up a conversation. "Hey, so, how's it going with the magic show prep? Is it all done?"
"H-Huh?" Tenko jolted in surprise at the sudden attention. "O-Oh, yeah, I think Angie finished everything after dinner. We're good to go for tomorrow morning."
"That's good to hear," I sighed. "We did put a lot of effort into the preparations."
Tenko dryly chuckled. "Well, it was mostly Angie's idea to make it as extravagant as possible. Himiko didn't really care, as long as she could perform her magic." Tenko's face went stern as she trailed off. "Hey, Shirayuki? Can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What's wrong?" I scrunched up my eyebrows in concern at her meek attitude. "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened," Tenko glanced off to the side. An unknown emotion flickered past her darkening eyes for a split second. "It's just...I was wondering..." Tenko started slowly, her tone filled with sorrow and anguish. "What do you when you just can't get through to someone?"
I blinked rapidly, cocking my head to the side. "I-I'm sorry?"
"I don't know how to say this, but..." Tenko squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. "I'm trying my best to get someone to change for their own benefit. And I mean well. Seriously, I do. But in the process, what if I hurt them? Or what if I hurt someone else?"
I felt the air being sucked out of me. Her question was loaded, so heavy because it spoke miles about my own situation as well. All the arguments I had with Kokichi flashed through my mind. To what end was I trying so hard to get him on the right track? Can you change someone who isn't willing to change? And even if it's good for them, is forcing someone to change acceptable?
What if it continues to hurt the both of us...?
"I think..." I started off slowly with hesitance. "It's inevitable to feel hurt in the process of helping someone. Whether it's you or them."
Tenko snapped her eyes opened, staring at me. "I see," she whispered quietly, a resigned look on her face.
"But, you know?" I continued, catching her attention again. "Since it's inevitable anyway, there's no fault in trying, right?" Tenko's eyes widened as I smiled at her with a wistful look in my eyes. "You don't know the outcome anyway. Besides, they always say no pain, no gain."
Tenko silently listened to me, taking in my words — reflecting over them and her own situation.
"Maybe it's arrogant of you to think you know better than them. Maybe it really isn't for their own sake, but for your own comfort." I searched for the right words to say. "Sometimes, they'll never understand your intentions. But that's what happens when you try to get to know someone, right?"
"I guess you have a point," Tenko nodded in understand, her eyes more focused than before.
"It's in the pain and all the bad that you really get to know someone," I offered a lopsided grin. "So even if it hurts you, keep trying. One day it'll reach them. One day you'll reach a mutual understanding."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." The corner of her lips tugged up into a smile. "Thanks, Shirayuki. I really needed that."
I waved my hand in the air, shaking my head. "Nah, it's nothing. I think I needed this talk too."
Tenko raised an eyebrow. "Is this about Kokichi?"
I sputtered, coughing on thin air. "W-What gave you that idea?"
Tenko rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. It's obvious you're pretty close to him — perhaps the most out of all of us. I have no idea what you see in him, but don't get too chummy with degenerate males like him." She glared at me, making me sweat.
"U-Uh, okay. I'll keep that in mind," I awkwardly laughed. "Anyway, I wish you well with Himiko. She's in good shape to have a friend like you."
"Yeah, thanks," Tenko nodded. "I think Himiko will be fine. She's stronger than I thought. Right now, I'm more worried about..." She trailed off, clenching her fists.
"Huh? I thought you were talking about Himiko this entire time," I raised an eyebrow. "Was I wrong?"
"It's nothing," Tenko reassured me with a smile. "I'll be going now. I can't wait for tomorrow's magic show!"
"I've never been to a magic show before, so this is a first for me," I pointed out, humming in agreement.
We headed back together to the dorms, chatting along the way. As I went to bed, I resolved myself to talk to Kokichi again tomorrow after the magic show. For some reason, there was an odd feeling inside my stomach, like I had forgotten something important. But the insect meet and greet had depleted all my energy, leaving me completely exhausted.
I fell asleep in an instant, unaware that it would be the last night that week where I would be able to sleep peacefully without any concern in the world.
~~O~~
"Whoa, this is much nicer than I thought!" Kaede gasped as she took in the decorated gym.
Tenko and I had arrived early to make last-minute adjustments to the decor. We hung red banners down from the top of the window sill and strewn together golden paper strings to decorate the rest of the walls. The water-tank was set up, and the ladder was in place. The lighting was slightly dimmed to add to the magic-feel of the area.
"We did try our best for Himiko's sake!" Tenko was back to her usual cheerful antic.
I turned my head towards Himiko, who was shivering behind back-stage. "Himiko? Are you okay?"
Himiko nodded stiffly. "Uh, yeah. I'm just nervous. In fact, I was so nervous I couldn't sleep, so as soon as night-time was over, I locked myself up in the dining hall the entire morning until now."
"Wait, seriously?" I frowned. "Are you sure you're okay? You can perform this trick safely, right?"
She whipped her head towards me and glared furiously. "It's not a trick. It's magic."
I sweatdropped and backed away from her. "R-Right. Magic, haha..."
I decided to leave her alone with Tenko and Angie to calm down her nerves. I scanned the premise, looking at the audience. Almost everyone was here, with a few exceptions. Kokichi wasn't here yet, though I assumed he was probably late. For some reason, Ryoma, Maki, and Gonta were also missing.
"We're still missing some people, aren't we?" Rantaro suddenly strode up towards me. "If you're wondering about Ryoma, he isn't feeling that well, so he's resting in his own room."
"Oh, I see," I said, then paused. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Wait, how do you know what Ryoma's been up to?"
Rantaro just shrugged. "I was talking to him last night in the Ultimate Tennis Lab. He didn't look well after our talk, so I told him to go rest inside his room today."
"Maki isn't coming," Kaito suddenly interjected. "I invited her, but she said it was nonsense and a waste of time." He shrugged.
"Oh, well, that's too bad," I frowned. "That leaves Gonta and Kokichi," I pointed out.
"Kokichi, I could understand, but Gonta's also missing?" Korekiyo mused in excitement. "This sounds like a mystery."
"Hm, I don't know. Perhaps Gonta is with Kokichi right now?" Shuichi had his fingers on his chin, looking like he was in deep thought. "Unless Kokichi shows up alone, then that's a different story."
As if on cue, the door slid open, and Kokichi stepped inside the room. "Oh? Is everyone else already here?" He scanned his surroundings with starry, excited eyes. "Thank god the performance hasn't started yet! I was so excited for this show!" He pumped up his fists, much to everyone else's chagrin.
"We all know what you're looking forward to most is the video screening afterward," Tenko mumbled underneath her breath.
Rantaro just shook his head in disapproval but chose not to say anything.
"Kokichi, do you know where Gonta is?" Shuichi suddenly posed a question.
Kokichi blinked. "Hm? Gonta? I don't know where that guy is!"
"But you were with him yesterday, right?" Kaede asked for clarification.
"Well, when we were gathering the motive videos, he was helping me. But after I found out a few people were missing theirs, I sent him off. I didn't want poor Gonta to come chasing everyone else with me. That'd be too tiring for him, and I was concerned~" Kokichi pouted.
I rolled my eyes. "Concerned my ass. You literally used him, to begin with."
"Nishishi, I won't deny that~" Kokichi snickered. "But anyway, the last time I saw him was when we parted in front of the dormitory. He did say he was going to search for more of his insect buddies in the courtyard, so maybe he got too excited about his adventure and disappeared into the woods?"
"That sounds unlikely," Shuichi pondered. "It's not like him to be late to a performance. He's known for being a gentleman, after all."
"Well, there's no point in worrying about it," Rantaro shrugged. "Other people chose not to come too, so he might just be feeling under the weather."
As the others dived into a conversation about Gonta's disappearance, I approached Kokichi. I poked him on the shoulder, and he turned towards me with his usual mischievous smile on. "Hm? What's up, Shiro-chan?"
"Can I talk to you after the show?" I asked meekly as I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. "I wanted to tell you something."
"Oh? What is this?!" Kokichi nodded enthusiastically. "This behavior of yours...IS THIS A ROMANCE FLAG?!"
I choked on thin air, shaking my head furiously. "N-No! What are you even thinking?!"
"Nishishi~ I'm just kidding, Shiro-chan. Man, you're easy to fool as usual!" He chuckled. "Anyway, sure! Let's talk after this show is over— oh, actually, can it wait until after the motive video screening?"
I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want."
"Ooh, like whatever you want, master?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
I slapped him in the head once, glaring at him. "Who'd want to have such a willful, annoying master like you?"
Kokichi pouted, sniffing as he prepared to launch a stream of crocodile tears. "Y-You're so mean..."
Before Kokichi could start crying, Angie clapped her hands loudly to gather our attention. The show started as Himiko climbed up onto the stage. "Nyahaha! Thank you, Atua, for being with us today! I present you the mysterious, the miraculous, the amazing Himiko!"
"Boo! You should thank us first for helping!" Tenko suddenly screamed out, making me wince.
"N-Nyeh," Himiko stuttered as she shook uncontrollably on stage. "T-The magic I will be performing is...the Extreme Water Magic. U-U-Underwater Escape A-Act."
"Uh, is she going to be okay?" I muttered to myself as I looked at her with concern.
"If you would, please turn your attention to the water tank in front of you!" Angie gestured her hand towards the tank. "When the timer above the stage starts, Himiko will enter the water tank. Once she's in the tank, her assistant — me — will draw the curtains in front of the tank."
Then, Angie pointed up towards the tank that was hovering in the air. "Then, a separate, suspended tank filled with Piranhas will open and drop!" The audience gasped. "After the piranhas have fallen and the curtain is opened, if by some miracle, Himiko is gobbled up, please give a big round of applause!"
Nobody laughed at her joke since they were all fearing for Himiko's safety.
Angie chuckled to herself. "Juuuuuust kidding! It's a joke! Well then, let's begin the magic trick!"
The timer across the wall beeped, and the countdown began. Himiko took a deep breath as she jumped into the tank. The curtains were then drawn as we all waited, knee-deep in silence and anxiety. As the timer continued to tick, everyone began to feel more anxious and panicked.
"She's probably out already, right?" Kaede nudged Shuichi, who was simply staring in horror at the closed curtains.
"H-Himiko, she's not out yet!" Tenko started to scream.
"Calm down. It's only been fifteen seconds," Korekiyo uttered.
The timer went down to twenty seconds, and the crowd began to panic. "I-I think we need to help her!" Kiibo suggested.
"Nu-uh!" Angie stopped everyone from panicking. "This is all a part of the magic trick!"
"N-No! We have to save her!" Tenko screamed as she started running towards the curtain. The countdown ticked down to zero, and the pile of piranhas came tumbling down into the pool. Tenko's face went completely ashen as he yanked open the curtains. "H-Himiko— huh?"
We all stared in surprise as the piranhas swam freely in the tank. Himiko was nowhere to be seen.
"W-What? Where is she— ah!" Kaede suddenly screamed.
Standing next to her was Himiko, safe, and sound. Himiko grinned smugly and raised her hands up into the air. "Behold! The great underwater escape!"
It took a moment before everyone processed what had happened. Then, we all broke into a thunder of applause. "T-That was nerve-wracking," I heavily sighed.
"Nishishi, that was fun!" Kokichi folded his arms across his chest. "I thought it'd be more of a cheap sham, but that was actually pretty entertaining!"
I glanced at Himiko, who was now calming down a crying Tenko. "Well, she is the Ultimate Mage."
"Oh, Shirayuki~" Angie's high-pitched voice suddenly entered my ears. She strolled over towards me. "Sorry to bother you, but can you help me with the clean-up of the equipment too?"
I nodded. "Sure, no problem. I might as well help until the very end." I turned away from Kokichi and headed over towards the backstage. I stepped on a small puddle of water along the way and frowned.
Where'd this puddle of water come from?
"Can you take off the banners, first?" Angie asked.
I nodded and climbed up the stage, placing the ladder underneath the windowsill. With steady steps, I climbed up to the top and reached above the window, taking off the banner that we stuck onto the wall. Then, I started to climb down—
Wait, why's the window open?
I froze mid-step and stared out the open window. Squinting my eyes, I moved my face closer towards the window, looking down into the swimming pool.
Is something...floating in the water...?
"Hm? What's taking so long, Shirayuki?" I heard Angie's voice calling me from below.
"There's something floating in the swimming pool, but I can't see—" I started to explain before my throat clogged up.
No...No way...that coat...that large build...
I felt like I was about to faint. My head became light-headed as my eyes quickly scanned the pool area. There was a tube floating in the water and a couple of tied up ropes. But that wasn't anything shocking. The figure floating in the water suddenly became clearer to me as my mind processed the long strand of hair, the large build, and the tube hanging around the body's neck.
Before I realized it, I was screaming. "KYAHHHHHH!"
I felt myself slip from the stairs and came crashing down onto the ground. My elbows were probably bruised, but I couldn't even think about it now. My entire body shivered. Immediately, someone was by my side, holding me still by the shoulders.
"Shirayuki, are you okay?!" The familiar scent of grapes gave me a sense of comfort as I unconsciously leaned against him. "What happened?" His voice uncharacteristically shook, but maybe it was just my imagination.
"T-There's...h-he's...in...pool," My words came out all jumbled and broken but he understood the sentiment.
"...Fuck, god damn it," Kokichi cursed underneath his breath. I was the only one who heard him due to our close proximity.
"Shirayuki, what happened?!" The rest of the students suddenly surrounded me, bombarding me with questions. Kokichi immediately let go of me and shifted away. I stared after him with slightly dampened eyes.
"I-I'm fine, but there's someone...a b-body in the pool next door!" I yelled out.
Immediately, everyone's face went pale in terror. "Y-You're kidding me..." Kaito stammered out. "If it's a joke it's not funny!"
"N-No, it can't be! Who is it?!" Kaede panicked.
"Let's go to the pool!" Shuichi ordered.
"Hurry!" Rantaro was already running towards the exit with everyone behind him.
"Shiro-chan, let's go too," Kokichi was back by my side after everyone left. He took off the scarf he was wearing and tied it gently around my bruised elbow. Then, he yanked me up onto my feet and dragged me out of the gym. I held onto his grip tightly as we moved to the pool.
We walked inside and stepped into the crowd. I took a gulp and faced the poolside.
As I expected, there was a body floating in the water. The rubber tube was around his neck with a few strands of rope floating around him like a spider web in the water. I felt my legs give way as I tumbled down to the ground again in sheer horror. Kokichi stood beside me, face completely devoid of emotion, but the tightening grip he maintained on my wrists said otherwise.
*Ding Dong Bing Bong*
"A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the gym!" The Monokuma announcement flickered on.
The announcement sealed the deal. This was not a nightmare nor a dream. It was real — the body of our friend, the sickening feeling in our stomachs, the horror, fear, and despair.
The game had started again.
And we could only stare in silence at the body of our friend: Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist.