Daily Life
After exiting the courtroom, the five of us held an impromptu meeting in the dining hall. We put two small tables next to each other, and had the five of us sit at the same table.
"So, Chiyuri-chan, I guess you're our leader now," Sayuri-san said.
"For the moment, anyway," I said. "My duty is only temporary."
"Perhaps," Tatsuki-san said, "but Monokuma is still keeping Nagato-sensei locked up in her cell, so until he lets her out, we'll need our student leader."
I shook my head. Tatsuki-san's point was valid, but she'd misunderstood what I was trying to say.
"Yes, but I'd like you all to recall what Higurashi-san said on the first day," I said. "He said that if he died, I'd serve as interim leader until we could elect a replacement."
The others nodded. It had been a long time since Higurashi-san had first brought up that detail, so I wasn't sure the others would remember. Luckily, though, those of us who were still left had a good memory for details, since the small things mattered in the killing game.
"Yes, he said that," Tatsuki-san said, "although I don't know if he expected to live this long."
"Indeed," Himeno-san said. "He may not have been as successful as he'd hoped, but we can be thankful for the fact that this many of us have survived."
I could imagine countless ways that this killing game could have ended. Perhaps we all would have stood together and resisted the temptation to kill- it probably never would have happened, but we could imagine it. Perhaps one of the killers might have gotten lucky, or Akira-san would have never figured out that she was the one responsible for Mihama-san's death, and we would have died. Perhaps we might all have died from starvation, dehydration or suicide on the third island. Perhaps someone else would have chosen to die in Higurashi's stead at the trial that had just ended. There were any number of possible outcomes, most of which ended with all but one of our deaths, so in the grand scheme of things, this wasn't so bad, even if it wasn't good.
"Besides," Sayuri-san said, "who says that we can't elect our interim leader and make her our permanent leader?"
"No one, I guess," I said, "but is that what you really want?"
The others nodded. Surely, they realized that if any of them wanted to challenge me for leadership of the group, now was the time, but none of them spoke. Even Himeno-san, the only one of us who hadn't voted for Higurashi-san back on the first day, hadn't tried to run against him back then, so she seemed to have no intention of opposing me now that the killing game seemed to be nearing its end.
I faced an unenviable responsibility as the acting leader of our group. I needed to tell my classmates, who were still almost as lost and confused as they'd been a month ago, what they needed to do to survive individually and as a group, and take responsibility for whatever consequences might come of my decisions. Even after working alongside Higurashi-san for so long, I didn't feel ready for this. It would be irresponsible for me to take on the job if I didn't think I couldn't do it, but it would be cowardly to not take the job just because I was afraid, so at the very least, I had to ask- could anyone handle it better?
"So..." I said, "without further ado, let's hold the election. Does anyone besides me wish to lead the group?"
The others remained silent. I was fairly sure they'd heard me, and that they'd had enough time to think it over, but no one took me up on my offer
"No one?" I said.
"It shouldn't be that surprising," Himeno-san said. "If any of us were confident in our ability to lead, we would have challenged Higurashi-san back on the first day. Those of us who were critical of Higurashi-san, myself included, didn't believe that any one person could lead us, much less that anyone could necessarily do a better job."
"Ah, yes," I said. "I thought so."
As desirable as political office was, whether for those who lusted for money and power, or those who wanted to make a difference, not everyone had what it took to serve in office. As such, while plenty of people complained about what the current government was doing, only a few tried to run for office.
"I believe so, too," Sayuri-san said. "I may be able to give directions to a crew of assistants when it comes to inking my pages, but that relies on them knowing what to do. If I were to lead this group, the phrase 'the blind leading the blind' comes to mind."
"That sounds about right," Kurogane-san said. "I don't have any leadership experience either."
"Me neither," Tatsuki-san said. "My transgressions aside, I'm a solo performer, not a band member, so my talent doesn't help me in the slightest."
"Neither does mine," I said, "even if it was one I'd earned myself."
The others looked at me and shook their heads, realizing that my point, while true, was ultimately irrelevant.
"Maybe this is about more than just talent," Himeno-san said, "but about what each of us can do for ourselves or the class. You may not be the best choice for leader, but you're the only one who's willing and able to serve."
I nodded.
"This may only be a formality," I said, "but anyone who wishes to vote for me, please say 'aye.'"
My five classmates said "Aye." They didn't have much of a choice- vote for me or abstain- but they chose me. I was honored by their choice, and vowed to make sure they wouldn't regret it.
"Then that's settled," I said. "Thank you, everyone; I'll do my best."
The others smiled and nodded approvingly.
"Like Higurashi-san, my first act will be to nominate a deputy who can replace me if necessary," I said. "Sayuri-san, should anything happen to me, I'd like you to become the leader. You seem to be the only one with any leadership experience."
"I will, Chiyuri-chan," Sayuri-san said, "but if that happens, and your killer is executed, there will likely be only three of us left, not counting your mother. There won't be much of a group left to lead."
"I agree," Himeno-san said. "Besides, the situation seems rather improbable. I doubt anyone here will commit murder before we reach the last island."
"Well, it's good to have something in place," I said, "since you never know what might happen."
By now, all of us were tired of losing our classmates and our friends, so none of us had any desire to kill someone. All we felt like doing was waiting for the final island, even if we barely had any idea what sort of graduation exam Monokuma had in mind, or what would await us if we managed to pass.
The five of us took the elevator down to see Mom, since the entire group could fit into the small room and speak to her. Since she'd already seen what happened, we only shared about how we elected me as Higurashi-san's replacement.
"I... understand," Mom said. "Higurashi-san's decision was not an easy one, but I believe he did the right thing in the end. The same goes for your decision to honor his wishes and agree on one person who would die to fulfill Monokuma's requirements."
"I know, Mom," I said, "but is it really right?"
"In a situation like this, there's less of a question of what is right or wrong, and more of a question of what you have to do to stay alive," Mom said. "
I nodded.
"In any case, Chiyuri," Mom said, "it would seem that your remaining classmates have chosen you to be their guide in my stead. Since Higurashi-san has chosen you, and the rest of the class voted for you, I will endorse you as the leader of our class. Do your best to be worthy of that trust."
"Yes, ma'am," I said.
Mom smiled. As strict as she'd been about making sure that I followed the rules and didn't expect special treatment as her daughter, she was always glad to have me in her class. Now that I was her proxy, I vowed to do my best to lead the class as long as I needed to.
"I have a question, Nagato-sensei," Tatsuki-san said. "Do you really expect Chiyuri-san to call you 'ma'am' outside of class?"
"I don't discourage it," Mom said with a smile, "since it's a nice habit to have."
While Mom insisted on being shown respect as a teacher, albeit largely out of a desire to keep her relationship with her students professional, and had been determined to teach her daughter good manners, she was relatively open-minded otherwise. The few friends she kept in touch with were more likely to call her "Yukari" or "Yukari-chan" than they were to use "Yukari-san," "Nagato-san" or "Nagato-sensei," and she was fine with being called "Mom"(or "Mama" when I was little) rather than "Mother." She believed it was important to practice good manners so that people would be more likely to show you the same courtesy, but her standards for how she expected to be treated weren't nearly as high as those for her treatment of others.
"True," I said. "In the end, my mom isn't just an authority figure as a teacher, but is also one as a parent. Do you think of yours the same way, Tatsuki-san?"
"I do," Tatsuki-san said. "I guess my mom would say most of the same things Nagato-sensei did if she were in this situation, even if she wouldn't consider me as much of a leader as Chiyuri-san is."
"Maybe you aren't," Mom said, "but Chiyuri's greatest qualification for leading you is not intelligence, charisma or vision- it's stepping up when we need someone to and doing what's right. She probably never would have had to do such a thing if she hadn't ended up in this scenario, but I'm glad that she did."
That brought me back to the question I'd asked countless times since the killing game began- why were we in such a horrible situation? Monokuma had told us what he wanted us to do, but not why he'd chosen us. Our kouhais in Class 33 had gone through something similar, as had the students from Hope's Peak's final class, but we didn't know why we'd ended up on the Ursa Major, and not either of them. Only one person knew... the one who had betrayed this class.
"There's one more thing I'd like to discuss while we're all here," I said, "namely, the issue of the traitor. If what Monokuma said is true, then it's one of the six of us."
"Assuming Monokuma's telling the truth," Himeno-san said. "If the traitor was Asakura-san or Karita-san, Monokuma could easily cover up the traitor's death by using the fact that he had to hold a trial for the other one. Once it was over, he could claim the traitor was still alive, so we wouldn't lose our greatest incentive to kill each other."
"I'm surprised, Himeno-san," Tatsuki-san said. "I thought you'd be willing to seek out and punish the person responsible."
"My reasons for that are quite simple, Tatsuki," Himeno-san said. "My best friend died as a result of Yamazaki-san's attempt to kill the mastermind, and we ended up having to sacrifice Higurashi-san because Asakura-san and Karita-san killed each other. If we go after the mastermind, who else will die?"
Tatsuki-san nodded. Perhaps she'd have felt the same way if Taiga-san had suffered Tsukimura-san's fate, and I knew where she was coming from.
"Himeno-san is right," I said. "My mom's the only family I have left, and I consider all of you my friends. For good or for ill, I can't bring myself to doubt any of you... or at least it's harder to doubt you than it is to doubt Monokuma."
"Quite true," Mom said. "For all we know, the assertion that the traitor is alive may be a clever twisting of words, just like his claim that the traitor hadn't been killed yet."
The rest of us silently concurred, knowing that the search for the traitor had cost five of our classmates their lives and not wanting to lose anyone else. We had little idea what the graduation exam would entail, and our only certainty was that another murder in search of the traitor would only lead to more unnecessary tragedy.
Of course, the traitor among us agreed with the others, and not just out of a desire to avoid suspicion. Monokuma had said that the final exam would be soon, and that we were down to "a good number" of students. One would think that he would want our numbers to dwindle further until there were too few people to have a viable class trial- probably two or three people besides Mom- but even though he could get another murder and trial out of the five students here, he chose not to. After all this time, I still hadn't completely figured Monokuma or the traitor out, and that thought concerned me.
After the meeting adjourned, the five of us rode the elevator back up and parted ways for the moment.
I headed out to the deck, and saw that the ship was pulling away from the fifth island. There were some rainclouds above the island, but it hadn't started to rain just yet. I honestly had no idea whether the timing of these murders or class trials affected Monokuma's plans for our trip, but he seemed like the kind to take things as they came.
"Ah, hello, Chiyuri," Himeno-san said. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"You certainly may, Himeno-san," I said. "I was hoping to speak with you."
I paused for a moment, unsure of how to broach this uncomfortable subject.
"There's something I wanted to ask you," I said. "Why did you offer to sacrifice yourself at the end of the last trial? Sayuri-san would have been heartbroken if you'd died."
"To be perfectly honest, because I couldn't in good conscience sacrifice someone else without offering to sacrifice myself first," Himeno-san said. "Monokuma was counting on all of us being callous enough to let someone else die so that we could live, hence why he threatens to punish all of us with death of we can't find the blackened."
I must have been giving Himeno-san a rather skeptical look, because she let off a long sigh.
"But in the end, I realize that even if I was willing to die to save all of your lives, it was largely to ease my conscience," Himeno-san said, "which is why I ultimately voted for Higurashi-san. He didn't deserve to die, either, but he was the most honest about his reasons, and so I chose to respect his decision."
"True," I said. "He entrusted me with his duty to protect the class, one that I'd taken on alongside him, so I'm also trying to honor his wishes."
Given that Himeno-san hadn't voted for Higurashi-san, I expected her to be more skeptical of this, but the fact that she voted for me seemed to be more relevant.
"I suppose part of the reason why I was skeptical about him was that I believe that virtues can be used disingenuously," Himeno-san said. "Wealthy people may practice noblesse oblige toward those less fortunate to justify being at the top of the social hierarchy, and can be hailed as philanthropists by donating part of their wealth while still keeping more than enough to live comfortably. Perhaps because of that, I thought Higurashi-san might be naive at best, or a charlatan at worst. I'm happy to say I was wrong."
Himeno-san had a sad smile on her face as she said that. In the end, she understood what Higurashi-san had been trying to accomplish, but knew it was too late.
"In any case," Himeno-san said, "you're our leader now. I'm counting on you, Chiyuri- assuming it's still fine to call you that."
"Oh, it is," I said. "I always thought you referred to Higurashi-san the same way I did because he was an acquaintance, rather than out of respect."
"I guess," Himeno-san said. "Of course, now that you outrank me, I'd like to figure out the terms of our relationship now, rather than find out later that you wanted to be called 'Chiyuri-sama,' 'President Nagato,' 'Your Highness' or something like that."
I giggled. If I demanded to be addressed as if I were a princess, that would make Mom the empress.
"Not at all," I said. "I'd feel more embarrassed than anything."
"Good," Himeno-san said. "Then I'll stick with calling you 'Chiyuri', and will add '-san' when talking about you with your mother."
Virtually all of the people I met treated me as an equal or an inferior, so I had to admit that being treated as a superior would feel a bit odd. Of course, I'd probably have to get used to it if I ever wanted to become a teacher.
"In all seriousness, though," Himeno-san said, "I'm glad neither Sayuri nor I got elected as leader, since it might have made things awkward if one of us outranked the other. Even if this is an informal position, you still need to make decisions without letting your feelings cloud your judgment."
I nodded. Himeno-san had faced this complication for as long as she'd known Tsukimura-san. Considering the effect it had on her relationship with her best friend, it was only natural that she wouldn't want it to come into play with the first girl she loved.
"I understand," I said. "Mom knows she wouldn't be much of a parent or a teacher if she wasn't capable of putting her feelings aside and making impartial decisions."
"That's true," Himeno-san said, "and that's one of the things I respect most about her. She treats all her students fairly, be they her child or someone else's, a rich girl or a maid, or talented or untalented. No matter who the traitor is, I'm sure Nagato-sensei will deal with that person appropriately."
"I think so, too," I said. "Of course, I guess that'll mean turning the traitor over to the police... or whoever's playing that role. The last thing any of us want is another vigilante murder against a suspected traitor."
Even as I said that, I realized that part of the reason why I wanted to leave the traitor's punishment to the proper authorities was somewhat selfish; not only did I think it was wrong for us to decide the traitor's punishment ourselves, but I was scared of having to decide what to do with the traitor. Would my anger over what the traitor had done to us cause me to be consumed by a lust for vengeance? Or would my bond with the traitor, whether as a classmate and friend or student and daughter, stay my hand? I didn't want to find out.
As night fell, I found Sayuri-san in the lounge, reading her manga. She probably realized that when she died, whether here or someday in the future, it would be her legacy in this world. It was a better legacy than most people could wish for, but I hoped she could eventually complete the story.
"Oh, good evening, Chiyuri-chan," Sayuri-san said.
"Hello, Sayuri-san," I said. "I'd like to talk to you about being a manga artist- specifically, your assistants. What would it be like if I was your assistant?"
Sayuri-san chuckled nervously.
"Well, for starters, I wouldn't hire you or any of our surviving classmates," Sayuri-san said. "There's a few reasons for that."
"Because we can't draw manga?" I said.
"That's part of it," Sayuri-san said. "I need assistants who are good at the inking and shading so that I can make a good manga. Of course, part of my job is making a manga that is worthy of my assistants' efforts, and won't give them trouble when they do their job inking it."
"Fair enough," I said. "Mom also believes that students can't get a good education unless they make an effort to learn and their teachers make an effort to teach."
A part of me was curious about the teachers who taught Sayuri-san how to draw, but I decided to save that question for another time.
"It's also an issue of practicality," Sayuri-san said. "If someone isn't doing well enough, and I have to fire that person, I can't afford to worry about whether doing so will ruin our friendship... or romantic relationship. That doesn't mean I don't care when I have to let someone go; it's just that I know it's a hard decision, which is why I can't afford to let personal feelings cloud my judgment."
"That's responsible of you," I said. "Himeno-san said something similar."
"I know she thinks of it the same way," Sayuri-san said, "since I told her the same thing once, and she said she was glad I wasn't her maid, either. She believes that unequal relationships can be overcome, like Kanae-chan did just before she was killed, but she'd have been happier if Kanae-chan had simply been her childhood friend, or even an adopted sister."
I smiled. For two people with starkly different upbringings, Sayuri-san and Himeno-san were on the same page surprisingly often.
"That's certainly like her," I said. "I think you two have a lot in common... maybe more than you think."
Sayuri-san blushed.
"I don't know about the last part," Sayuri-san said, "since maybe what I think is more than what you think I think, you think?"
"Probably," I said, still reeling from that last tongue-twister.
Sayuri-san and I shared a laugh about that.
"But seriously, I'm glad you think so," Sayuri-san said. "Just one final piece of advice- don't be afraid to make difficult decisions for the sake of the group, even if, for example, I end up turning out to be the traitor."
"I won't," I said, "but difficult decisions aren't just hard because there's much at stake- it's because often, there are no easy answers. We didn't just have to convict the blackened to save the spotless, but also had to find out who the blackened were."
"I know," Sayuri-san, "but you and Akira-chan were able to handle that. Maybe it's an exaggeration to say that you can handle whatever's next, but I know you have the potential in you."
I thanked Sayuri-san and said good night to her before I headed back to my cabin. Unlike Higurashi-san, I'd been elected with a unanimous vote, by people who knew me well by now. A part of me wondered if I deserved such an overwhelming vote of confidence, but I resolved to prove that I did.
Since I'd already spoken with Mom earlier today, I decided to forgo the evening meeting, instead going about my nightly routine. As I knelt at my bedside, I said my prayers for the dead- not just Higurashi-san, but even Karita-san and Asakura- as well as for the wisdom and strength to see my classmates through these coming days.
I once again thought about Akira-san, and wished she was here now, more than ever. She'd been a valuable ally thus far, who was smart enough to solve the murders and selfless enough to lay down her life for the group. Perhaps she could have been the leader instead.
Despite that, I knew there was no point in wishing for what I couldn't have. She was gone, and we'd have to rise to the occasion without her, as we had in the last trial and the one before that. I wanted to believe she was in a better place now, and that even if she didn't deserve to die so young, she deserved to rest in peace.
In the end, while the day after tomorrow would likely be even more of an ordeal than the five previous class trials, all of us were lucky to be alive. Survival hadn't brought us freedom, but I believed that one day, our suffering would end. Maybe this was hope, the quality that Kirishima-san had lacked, and which Monokuma had so fervently sought to crush.
Day 32
I woke up feeling uneasy. This would probably be the last "normal" day we had, and in the killing game, "normal" didn't necessarily equate to "safe."
Since I'd put my casual clothes in the hamper, I instead went with a combination of a button-down shirt and overalls today.
The weather was cloudy but not rainy, and the gloomy skies made me feel a bit nervous. Of course, since we were on the ship, I wouldn't have to go outside if I didn't want to.
I joined the others for breakfast. Himeno-san and Kurogane-san were back to their usual clothes- their archery training outfit and uniform, respectively. As for Sayuri-san and Tatsuki-san, they were wearing their casual clothes. Tatsuki-san sat at my right, while Himeno-san and Sayuri-san sat across from us, and Kurogane-san sat to my left.
While we were eating together, Monokuma arrived, sitting at the far end of the double table, across from Kurogane-san.
"Hello, class," Monokuma said. "As usual, I'm here to announce your reward for getting through the last class trial. It's the final digit of the combination to the lock on the bridge- a 0."
I wrote down the number in my notebook. At long last, we had all five numbers. Eleven of us had died so that we could get to this point, so it wasn't remotely worth it, but would the numbers do us any good?
"So the numbers are 1, 1, 3, 7 and 0," I said. "Are they in that order?"
"Not necessarily, Nagato-san," Monokuma said. "I'll give you the combination once we reach the last island. You're free to try it if you want- as long as you're willing to risk your life."
I shook my head. Even if all five of us tried the combination, the most we could hope for was getting one or maybe two of the digits in the right slot.
"I'll pass," I said. "I'm not so impatient that I'd throw my life away."
"Good girl," Monokuma said. "The class sure has shrunk since this killing school cruise began, and now that there are so few of you, I'd rather not have you die boring deaths."
This was the second time in as many days that Monokuma had commented on how few of us were left. Obviously, he enjoyed seeing us die, but why was he so fixated on how many of us were still alive? The only thing that came to mind was that there would be at most one or two murders left, but I wasn't too confident in that guess.
"That's all for now," Monokuma said. "I'll see you girls and Kurogane-san tomorrow."
Monokuma then departed, at which point Kurogane-san chuckled.
"Is something funny?" Himeno-san said.
"Nothing, really," Kurogane-san said. "Having gone to an all-boys school, and grown up with mostly male cousins, I'm not used to spending time around so many girls my age."
"I'm sure a lot of boys would envy you, Hikaru-kun," Sayuri-san said. "It seems like a situation right out of a harem anime."
Kurogane-san laughed out loud.
"I thought you'd say that," Kurogane-san said, "but in my case, you would all need to be boys, rather than girls."
"Oh, right," Sayuri-san said with a sheepish smile, presumably having known that Kurogane-san was gay. "Of course, if your possible harem members were both male and gay, they should be able to fall in love with each other, rather than fight each other over you."
"True," Tatsuki-san said. "At my old school, which was coed, two of my old friends- Ayame-san and Kaori-san- had a falling out over a boy they both liked, who eventually went out with Kaori-san. I can't imagine any boy would be worth sacrificing their friendship over. That's why it's always sad when I see two girls who might otherwise be friends competing with each other in a love triangle."
As we engaged in lighthearted conversation over our friends and acquaintances' love lives, I briefly took stock of all my friends. Since Tatsuki-san and I were heterosexual, Kurogane-san was gay, Sayuri-san was bisexual and Himeno-san was a lesbian, most of us, except for the latter two, were out of luck when it came to romance. I didn't mind, though, since I'd made more friends in my month on the Ursa Major than I had in the sixteen years before I came to Talent High School. That month had been full of pain, suffering and loss, but good things had happened, too, so I was sure I'd be able to fall in love and get married someday if I lived long enough.
Once breakfast was ended, I called for the others' attention.
"I have a favor I'd like to ask of you," I said. "Would you be willing to come down and see Mom with me?"
"Really?" Kurogane-san said. "You're sure we're not in the way?"
"I don't think so," I said. "Originally, my role was to verify whatever Higurashi-san heard from Mom, so no one would assume that he made things up to fool us."
Now that I thought about it, it was amazing how much things had changed since back then. I'd gone from being Higurashi-san and Akira-san's assistant to being our leader and detective. I wished they had lived, even if I ended up staying in their shadow, but I'd come as far as I had because I'd chosen to. Until our teacher was able to look after us again, I'd do whatever I had to in order to keep my classmates safe.
I brought the others down to see Mom and shared the news we'd received. It seemed more efficient for Monokuma to have another body go down to Mom's cell and share the information with her, but for some reason, he didn't bother. Maybe he wanted to keep her out of the loop, or he didn't mind us telling her.
"You made the right call to wait for the order of the numbers, Chiyuri," Mom said. "Regardless of what you might find on the bridge, it can't be worth losing one of you."
"Oddly enough, Monokuma thinks so, too," I said. "He must have been pleased that no one was willing to break his rules and die, if only because it was more entertaining. That makes me wonder if all of our efforts have just been playing into his hands."
Mom shook her head.
"Maybe things unfolded the way he anticipated," Mom said, "but throwing your lives away in a vain attempt to defy him would have accomplished nothing. My goal is to get as many of you home safe as possible. I don't know whether you can return to your old lives, but if possible, seeing that this happens would be my next step."
"I agree," I said. "I'd like to go home with you, and keep in touch with the others, but considering what happened to the outside world, might that be too much to ask?"
We fell silent, having been forced to dwell on uncomfortable subjects. When all was said and done, would our time in the killing game be pleasant compared to what would come afterward? None of us could say for certain; the only thing that we were sure of was that we wanted to go back to idyllic days that would never return.
After the meeting ended, we split up. Eventually, my path crossed with Kurogane-san in the lounge.
"Hello, Nagato-san," Kurogane-san said.
"Hello, Kurogane-san," I said. "Is something on your mind?"
"Yes, ever since we had our discussion with Nagato-sensei this mornig," Kurogane-san said. "I can tell you if you'd like, but I'll warn you- it's not exactly pleasant."
"I'm ready to hear it," I said. "Please tell me what you thought of."
Kurogane-san nodded hesitantly.
"It's about our families," Kurogane-san said. "I lost my cousin in Talent High School's killing game, even though he should have been safe from the Tragedy. Given what happened, I doubt he was the only family member who perished. In a worst-case scenario, my entire extended family is dead, and the rest of our classmates are no luckier."
"I thought you'd say that," I said. "Did you choose to bring this up with me because my mom's the only family I have left?"
"Partially," Kurogane-san said, "but you're a better person to discuss this with than, say, Tatsuki-san. It would break her heart to know that she might have lost the rest of her family, not just her sister."
I nodded grimly.
"There's one thing I'm not sure of," I said. "If this is true, and everyone we knew and loved is dead, why didn't Monokuma just tell us this? It would be just the thing we'd need to hear to fall into despair."
"Maybe he wants us to find out on our own," Kurogane-san said, "or maybe he doesn't know. It's possible that in a disaster this large, they're still counting the dead, or Monokuma thinks that the uncertainty will torment us more than knowing the bad news."
I didn't know what to say to that.
"Of course, this is all speculation," Kurogane-san said. "If our families are, in fact, alive, then Monokuma wouldn't gain anything by telling us. Conversely, if Kojima-kun was sure that his friends and family were dead, he wouldn't have any reason to try to graduate."
"So a little bit of hope can be dangerous," I said, "assuming that it leads people to do terrible things for the sake of pursuing that hope. Of course, I wonder what Monokuma's plan is for this stage of the killing game."
"It's hard to say," Kurogane-san said. "Maybe Monokuma didn't anticipate us getting this far, and everything that happened until now happened to be things just coincidentally going as he'd anticipated. After all, this does rely on us giving in to temptation and killing each other."
"So it's possible we can overcome whatever's next?" I said.
Kurogane-san shrugged.
"Maybe," Kurogane-san said, "but don't get your hopes up too high. Even if Monokuma isn't omniscient enough to predict everything, I'm sure he has at least one more nasty surprise in store for us, so be careful."
I thanked Kurogane-san, but left the conversation feeling more worried than ever. Setting up the killing game required an immense amount of resources, technology that was beyond what was widely available, and likely help from many people besides the traitor, but running the game required a sadistic mind of merely above-average intelligence.
The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. I didn't see too much of the others, who mainly seemed to be lost in thought and mostly kept to themselves all day. I considered asking them about what I'd discussed with Kurogane-san, but realized it would likely only cause them undue anguish... assuming they hadn't thought of it already.
That evening, we ate dinner together, realizing that this would be the last ordinary meal we'd have as a class, since we had no idea what would happen at breakfast tomorrow. Monokuma would likely give one final announcement about our goals for the final island, as well as the passcode for the bridge, and once we finished eating, our final investigation would begin.
It was mostly a quiet meal, with us talking about various lighthearted subjects- our old schools, the things we did for fun, and our lives before the killing game, among other things. We were trying not to think about yesterday's class trial or what we'd face tomorrow, when today, we could act like simple high school students during a rare period of peace. This was the sort of trip we should have had all along, and even though there was no use crying over spilled milk, we couldn't help but wish that the killing school trip had never happened.
At the end of the meal, Sayuri-san spoke to me.
"Chiyuri-chan, could you please come to my cabin in about 15 minutes?" Sayuri-san said. "There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."
"Certainly," I said. "What is this favor?"
"Oh, nothing major," Sayuri-san said with a smile, before walking close and whispering in my ear, "It's about Himeno-chan."
I nodded.
"Understood," I said. "I'll take a quick walk around the ship, so you can wait for me in your cabin."
As Sayuri-san and I left the dining hall in opposite directions- she went downstairs while I walked out to the deck- I saw Himeno-san sitting there, glancing at each of us. She was almost certainly curious about what we were up to, but didn't bother asking; I'd probably feel the same way in her situation.
Fifteen minutes after dinner, I stopped by Cabin F2 and knocked on the door.
"It's me, Chiyuri," I said. "Are you in there, Sayuri-san?"
"Coming," Sayuri-san said.
Sayuri-san answered the door, dressed in the white kimono that she'd worn to the costume party and holding an envelope in her hand. Upon closer inspection, she'd put on a bit of makeup.
"How do I look?" Sayuri-san said.
"Beautiful," I said. "You look great in a kimono."
"Thank you," Sayuri-san said. "I called Monokuma in for a private meeting and asked him if he could give us kimonos for getting through the university-themed island. He said it was a bit too soon for that, but he'd consider it if I got through the graduation exam. It's a shame, since I've grown fond of how I look in the kimono, but my parents definitely can't afford to buy a kimono, unlike, say, the Himemiyas."
The same went for my mom. She wore a suit to Coming of Age Day and her college graduation, since she and her parents didn't find it practical to rent a kimono She would have worn a white bridal dress to her wedding if Dad had lived long enough for them to get married, rather than wearing a bridal kimono like Himeno-san's mother almost certainly did to her wedding.
"This is about Himeno-san, isn't it?" I said. "After all, you did say that's why you called me here."
"Yes, I did," Sayuri-san said. "There's two favors I wanted to ask. The first was to make sure that I look nice."
"You do," I said, "which is good, because as I said back at the costume party, I can't tie a kimono, so I can't help you with that."
Sayuri-san let off a sigh of relief. I could only imagine how distressed she might have been if she'd incorrectly put on her kimono and realized I wouldn't be able to help rectify her mistake.
"Excellent," Sayuri-san said. "Now for my second request."
Sayuri-san then handed me the envelope she was holding. The front said "Himeno Himemiya-sama, Cabin F3, Ursa Major," while the back said "Sayuri Sasaki."
"Please deliver this to Himeno-chan," Sayuri-san said. "If you've read enough high school romance stories, you'll know what's in it."
I nodded, understanding immediately.
"Understood," I said. "You can count on me."
"Thank you, Chiyuri," Sayuri-san said, bowing deeply before saying goodbye to me and closing the door to her room, presumably hoping Himeno-san would be the next to knock on it.
Himeno-san wasn't in her cabin so I decided to take a look around. I saw her coming out of the ladies' restroom.
"Oh, good evening, Chiyuri," Himeno-san said. "I take it you finished meeting with Sayuri?"
It occurred to me that Himeno-san might have been waiting around for me to get done, but even though she knew that I was meeting with Sayuri-san, she didn't know how long it would take.
"Perfect timing, Himeno-san," I said. "Sayuri-san has a letter for you."
"I'm sure she could have told me the contents of the letter in person," Himeno-san said, "but I'd like to read it.
I handed Himeno-san the letter, and she carefully opened it. After just a glance, her eyes went wide.
"D-Did Sayuri say anything to you about this?" Himeno-san said.
"Only that she wanted to see you in her cabin," I said. "She asked me two things- to make sure she'd put on her kimono correctly, and to deliver this letter."
Himeno-san nodded, and seemed to tremble with anticipation.
"Then I won't waste any time," Himeno-san said. "Thank you, Chiyuri; I'll go see Sayuri now."
"Got it," I said. "Well, I'll leave you to it.
Himeno-san knocked on the door to the cabin.
"It's me, Sayuri," Himeno-san said. "I got your letter.
Seconds later, Sayuri-san opened the door and ushered Himeno-san inside. I was about to leave, when I stopped short, faintly hearing Sayuri-san's voice inside. The doors to the cabins didn't seem to be soundproof, thereby making it possible for the inhabitants to talk with people at the door without gaining entry... or people to listen in on conversations inside.
"So, Himeno-chan... you got my letter, right?" Sayuri-san said.
"Yes, I did," Himeno-san said. "There's only one thing I have to ask you- do you mean it?"
"Of course," Sayuri-san said. "I... I spent a long time working on the letter, so I don't know how to reiterate it except... I'm in love with you."
"Then... nothing makes me happier," Himeno-san said. "I guess you could say... that makes two of us."
Sayuri-san let out a loud squeal that made her sound like a giddy schoolgirl... which, in the end, was what she was. She was the Ultimate Manga Artist, as well as someone who'd seen more death in the past month than many people do in their entire lives, but in the end, she was an ordinary girl confessing to her first love.
"R-Really?" Sayuri-san said.
"I guess Akira never told you," Himeno-san said. "I told her that I was in love with you the night before she died, but I guess she never told you or anyone... not even Chiyuri."
Sayuri laughed loudly enough for me to hear it clearly through the cabin door.
"It's funny you should say that," Sayuri-san said. "I told Chiyuri-chan how I felt about you while we were on the fourth island. I guess all we needed was the courage to be honest with each other, right?"
"Maybe we did," Himeno-san said, "but I'm grateful that you were willing to be patient with me, considering I've asked a lot of you this past month."
"Couples do that a lot," Sayuri-san said, "so feel free to ask me anything, within reason, of course."
"Well, it's a small thing," Himeno-san said. "Can you just call me 'Himeno' from now on, like Kanae did just before she died?"
Sayuri-san must have understood what Himeno-san's invitation meant. Tsukimura-san had been the person closest to Himeno-san, so to achieve a comparable status in such a short time was truly an honor.
"Absolutely, Himeno-ch...Himeno," Sayuri-san said.
Satisfied with the outcome, and feeling guilty about listening in on such an intimate conversation, I headed back to my cabin. So many of us had lost our lives in the killing game, and those who were left would likely bear the scars for the rest of our lives, so I was happy to hear that two of us had found love in the killing game. Nothing was worth what we went through here, but at least some good had come out of it.
After getting ready for bed and saying my prayers, I had trouble falling asleep that night. I knew that tomorrow would be a very difficult day, but at the same time, I had no idea what to expect.
Of course, I wasn't the only one with this situation. My remaining classmates, as well as Mom, were facing the same uncertainty and fear. I wasn't any more confident than they were, but I could empathize with them and be someone they could rely on. Maybe that was what it meant to be a leader, or at least a first among equals that Higurashi-san had been.
In the end, no one had experienced anything quite like we had apart from Naegi-san and Miura-san's classes, but I couldn't speak with either of them right now. Whatever problems we'd face tomorrow, we'd have to find our own solutions, even if there were no easy or pleasant answers to our questions.
mONoKuMA THEatER
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The Final Day
I woke up, feeling a bit odd. Last night's "Monokuma Theater" was even odder than usual, at least compared to the ones I'd seen. I wished I could ask Akira-san about it, forgetting that was no longer possible.
"Good morning, Akira-san," I said reflexively, still half-asleep.
I felt a bit embarrassed at my absentmindedness, even though I knew no one else could hear me. But then...
"Morning, Chiyuri," Akira-san said.
After a moment, I fully woke up, and realized I wasn't imagining things. Akira-san was sitting on the bed on the other side of the room. She was dressed in a clean uniform, even though the last time I'd seen her, at her own execution, her clothes had been filthy and soaked with blood. I could have sworn I saw some parts of my field of vision blur, a bit like a glitching monitor, but chalked that up to a figment of my imagination... just like the girl in front of me.
"Something wrong?" Akira-san said. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
I almost burst out laughing. Either Akira-san was making fun of me, or she was so oblivious that she didn't realize the irony of her word choice.
"Funny you should say that," I said. "I saw Monokuma execute you."
"Execute?" Akira-san said. "What are you talking about?"
"The killing game, of course," I said. "You accidentally caused Mihama-san's death and became the blackened in that trial. Once you realized this, you convinced us- well, everyone except me- to vote for you, so everyone else would live."
Akira-san furrowed her brow, her expression partially annoyed, and partially that of someone who hadn't understood a word in the sentence I'd just uttered. She seemed especially confused upon hearing the word "blackened," which, while a commonly-used part of our vocabulary ever since the killing game started, wasn't a word we would normally associate with someone who'd committed or been convicted of murder.
"Are you feeling okay, Chiyuri?" Akira-san said.
I shrugged. Akira-san didn't seem to remember anything that had happened in the past month, so one would think that her memory had been wiped once again, or she'd been brought back from a point at which she'd still been alive. If she had, she probably wouldn't remember that we were friends, so nothing made sense.
"I'm honestly not sure," I said. "I don't think I can ask you to forget all of this, but I need some time to clear my head and make sense of what's going on, so please bear with me."
"Gotcha," Akira-san said. "When you're ready, let's head to breakfast."
Akira-san nodded. As I'd suspected, she was understanding enough to not dismiss the strange things I had to say as crazy talk, even if she was having trouble following them herself. Even if she wasn't truly back from the dead, I was glad to see her again.
After soaking my face with cold water to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I dried myself off and changed into my uniform for the first time since we arrived at the last island. Considering that this was the most important day of the killing game, I felt a desire to look nice. It was either this or the suit, and I thought of the suit as a one-time thing.
Outside our cabin, we saw Himeno-chan and Tsukimura-san, wearing their usual archery training clothes and kimono, respectively.
"Oh, good morning, Himeno-san... and Tsukimura-san," I said.
"Good morning, Chiyuri... and Akira," Himeno-san said.
Neither Himeno-san and I were nearly as surprised by seeing the second "ghost" of the day as we had upon seeing the first. The first had been an impossibility, while the second merely confirmed that this wouldn't be a one-time deal.
Tsukimura-san looked at me, puzzled. If the gregarious Sayuri-san was proof of an overall trend, people had an easier time becoming friends with Tsukimura-san than they did with Himeno-san. If that held true, then Tsukimura-san must have wondered why I considered her an acquaintance but Himeno-san a friend.
"Is something wrong, Nagato-san?" Tsukimura-san said.
"Don't mind her, Tsukimura," Akira-san said. "She looked pretty damn surprised to see me, too."
"Is that so?" Tsukimura-san said. "Himeno felt the same way, so i can understand."
Himeno-san could only nod hesitantly.
"Kanae, Akira, could you please go to the dining hall?" Himeno-san said. "I'd like to borrow Chiyuri for a moment."
"Sure thing, Himeno," Akira said. "Let's go, Tsukimura."
"Please excuse us, Himeno," Tsukimura-san said. "We'll save spots for you and Nagato-san."
As Tsukimura-san and Akira-chan left, Himeno-san pulled me aside.
"So I'm not the only one who notices that something's wrong," Himeno-san said.
"You took the words out of my mouth," I said. "Tatsuki-san, Sayuri-san and Kurogane-san lost their roommates, too, so I imagine they woke up to something similar."
Himeno-san nodded. I could only imagine how painful it must have been for her to see her best friend seemingly back from the dead, only to know in her heart that this was merely an illusion, like a thirsty traveler stranded in a desert seeing a mirage of an oasis.
"That isn't even the weirdest thing," Himeno-san said. "You'd assume that these 'ghosts' would remember everything that happened, up to and including their own deaths, didn't you?"
"That's a reasonable assumption," I said, "but Akira-san didn't seem to react to Tsukimura-san being alive."
"Exactly," Himeno-san said. "What's more, Akira called me by my first name, something that happened after the first trial, so it's not as though they forgot everything that happened."
"Or maybe they regained their lost memories," I said, "and you really were that close when you went to school together."
While this seemed like the best guess at the time, one could only imagine how our relationships might have developed at school. It was possible that some people who were close friends at school died before they even got to know each other during the killing game, or that the killing game resulted in people who never would have had any reason to become close at school turning out to be close friends.
"That's possible," Himeno-san said, "but I don't think we'll get an explanation just sitting here. Let's get going to the dining hall; Kanae and Akira are waiting."
I followed Himeno-san to the dining hall, knowing that this would most likely not be the strangest sight we'd see today.
By the time we caught up to the others, the dining hall was as full as it had been at the start of the killing game. I counted all sixteen students, including the eleven dead ones; the other living students were seated, while the dead ones were milling about, apparently not at all hungry.
Himeno-san and I found the other survivors sitting at the same table, and joined them.
"Good morning, Chiyuri-chan, Himeno," Sayuri-san said.
"Good morning, ladies," Kurogane-san said. "I take it that you saw a few people who are supposed to be dead?"
We nodded. Each of us girls had seen her roommate come back from the dead, but Kurogane-san saw all the other guys.
"We did," Sayuri-san said. "Tatsuki-chan's taking it especially hard, especially since she's seeing her own sister again."
"Yes, it is hard," Tatsuki-san said, "but I know for a fact that this is difficult for all of us in various ways."
Tatsuki-san had been looking at Sayuri-san when she spoke, but her gaze drifted over to Kurogane-san.
"True," Kurogane-san said. "I asked Kojima-kun about the costume party, but he didn't say anything about it, so he won't be able to answer any questions I have about the murder he attempted."
"I'm sorry," Tatsuki-san said. "I wish I understood why he was willing to kill Taiga and let the rest of us die, but I suppose it's my fault that the truth is out of reach."
"It's mostly his fault," Kurogane-san said, "since he was the one who tried to kill your sister."
I remembered what Akira-san had said after the trial- that Tatsuki-san, Kojima-san and even Taiga-san bore some blame for the murder that had occurred at the costume party and Taiga-san being executed in her sister's stead. It was a harsh and brutally honest statement, but also true.
"In any case," Kurogane-san said, "I think we learned something valuable from my conversation with Kojima-kun. Asakura-kun and Karita-kun won't tell us about their killing each other the day before yesterday, and the traitor definitely won't tell us why they were willing to let us die in the killing game. We'll have to discover those ugly truths ourselves."
I said "I understand," but winced inwardly, not relishing the idea that I had to search out the one who betrayed us, especially when our previous attempts to unmask the traitor had cost innocent people their lives.
As we finished eating, Monokuma joined us.
"Why hello, everyone," Monokuma said. "Looks like the gang's all here once again."
"What is going on, Monokuma?" I said. "Why are all these people who died during the killing game standing here as if they were still alive?"
"Figure it out yourself, Nagato-san," Monokuma said. "You're a smart girl, so I'm sure it won't be a problem for you."
I sighed. While Monokuma was rather fickle when it came to deciding whether to answer our questions, I suspected that it was possible that he didn't know, either.
"Anyway, here's the moment you've been waiting for," Monokuma said. "The combination to the lock on the bridge is... 11037. I'll repeat; 1...1...0...3...7. Got it memorized?"
I nodded, haven written it down. That was certainly an odd number, and I wracked my brain for what it might signify, but to no avail. The only obvious part was that we'd never have guessed this number with the information at our disposal.
"That's all for now," Monokuma said. "We should arrive at the island by 9 AM, so the usual deadline doesn't apply. Of course, if I see any of you dawdling on the ship, I'm gonna warn you to hurry up... and if you don't, I'll have the Monodrones gun you down. Until then!"
Monokuma left.
"Let's go," I said. "It's finally time to find out what's on the bridge."
The others students, both the living and the dead, followed me upstairs. I couldn't quite tell what was going on in the heads of those students who were supposed to be dead, but all of them were probably curious to see what was behind the once locked door at the top of the ship.
The sixteen of us headed up to the bridge, and I walked up to the keypad. The other students eagerly gathered around the door, possibly wanting to be the first inside once it opened. I couldn't fault them for their enthusiasm, but considering that an incorrect password would invite a hail of gunfire from the Gatling guns above, it wasn't exactly safe to be near me.
"Stand back, everyone," I said. "I don't think Monokuma lied about the keypad, but I want you out of the line of fire in case something goes wrong."
The others, both living and dead, obeyed me.
The keypad had four rows of three square buttons each, for a total of twelve buttons- the numbers 0-9, Backspace and Enter. I input 1, 1, 0, 3 and 7 in that order, double-checked the combination in the display (which didn't conceal the input decisions), crossed myself, and pressed Enter. The five numbers were replaced with the English letters, "RIGHT," and the door slowly opened.
"The coast is clear," I said. "The combination worked."
"Excellent, Nagato-kun," Kirishima-san said as he and the others came up the stairs. "As I told Azuki-kun, it was a good choice to wait for the answer to be conclusively determined."
"Yeah, but there are times when you've got to go with your gut," Yamazaki-san said. "Or a lifeline, if you've got one."
"A 'no clip' cheat code might've been nice," Kojima-san said. "If we had that, we could've passed through the wall like a ghost on the first day."
The other fifteen students climbed the stairs with me, and I waited a few seconds for them to catch up. We'd obtained this information because of everyone's efforts and sacrifices, so we deserved to go into the bridge together. Once everyone was ready, I stepped through the door.
The bridge looked like it had from the perspective I, as well as other curious students, had when we peered through the window. The only thing I hadn't expected was how dusty it would be.
"Welcome to the bridge, children," Monokuma said. "It's not every day that you get to set foot up here, is it?"
"I do not believe anyone has set foot in this area," Mihama-san said, "at least not since the Ursa Major arrived in port and picked us up."
"No shit, Sherlock," Asakura said. "It shouldn't take a child prodigy to realize this."
"Mihama-san is right," Monokuma said. "Have a look."
Monokuma showed us a security camera depicting time-lapse photography of the Ursa Major's bridge. According to the time stamps, one photo was taken every 33 minutes.
"One photo every 33 minutes, huh?" Karita-san said. "Surely it's possible to sneak up there in the interval between photos, right?"
"True," Kumakura-san said, "but they'd also have to know when the camera went off, or else they'd get caught on tape."
"Good point," I said, "It wouldn't be possible to steer the ship or directly control Monokuma from here just by sneaking onto the bridge every so often."
"Bingo, Nagato-san!" Monokuma said. "Robots are meant to replace human workers, so it would defeat the point if someone had to control me all the time."
I felt uncomfortable reminded of how my grandfather had to struggle to stay employable as more and more of his tasks at the factory became automated, and even more uncomfortable to realize that this keypad had been nothing more than a wild goose chase. But then I had an idea.
"Are you sure that Mom didn't set foot on the bridge?" I said.
"Absolutely, Nagato-san," Monokuma said. "Take a look at the security camera footage of Nagato-sensei."
Monokuma showed us the eleven hour period between 9 AM and 8 PM on a given day, with the camera focused on Mom and the footage sped up a hundredfold. Mom walked around the ship to stretch her legs, spent much of her time on the deck (weather permitting, of course), ate in the dining hall, and obediently reported back to her cell by 8 PM. She walked up to the door to the bridge a handful of times, but never tried to go inside. He then showed us the bridge footage from the same time period, this time in a similarly fast-forwarded speed, which proved that no one set foot on the bridge.
"So in other words, the traitor never needed to come up here at all, did they?" Higurashi-san said.
"Nope," Monokuma said. "Why would they? They were a big help in getting you all to come here, but they stopped being useful when the killing game started, so I could let them die without my plan being affected."
"Ah, yes, you did say that earlier," I said. "I guess that's the only reason why you let us try to kill the traitor."
Monokuma simply laughed and ignored what I'd just said.
"Anyway," Monokuma said, "as you know, we've reached the final stop on our trip. Once you're ready, exit the ship in a timely manner, and head to the big building- you can't miss it. See you there!"
Monokuma departed. I then checked my watch and saw that it was about 8:20 AM.
"It looks like we don't have to go onto the island by 9 AM," I said, "but we should leave by then just to be safe. Before then, you should get what you need from your cabins, since we won't be coming back."
The others nodded. It still felt a bit strange to realize that the killing game was about to end, and that we would be leaving the Ursa Major for the last time, but we had to accept this reality, and be prepared for whatever came next.
I stopped by my cabin, and looked around for the last time. This had been my home for about a month now, a relatively safe place to shower, rest and spend time with Akira-san. As eager as I'd been to escape from this killing school trip, I felt a bit uneasy leaving the cabin behind.
Picking up the backpack I'd taken for the third island, I went down memory lane in packing what I needed. I put in the notebooks Akira-san and Kirishima-san had bequeathed to me, all the pens we had, a bottle of water, some non-perishable food and even the walkie-talkie I'd gotten on the fifth island. In the end, whatever was facing us would likely be a test of what we'd learned here, both all the pieces of information we'd memorized and our mystery solving skills. With that in mind, what I had in my backpack was less important than what I had in my head, but it could never hurt to be prepared.
After I finished my preparations, I exited the cabin, and stopped at the door, as Akira-san walked up to greet me.
"All ready, Chiyuri?" Akira-san said.
"I am," I said. "I'm heading for the final island."
"Good," Akira-san said. "Monokuma says that those of us who... aren't supposed to be here won't be coming with you. I asked if that'd violate the rules, but he says it doesn't matter in that case."
"Oh, right..." I said.
Akira-san simply chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. Surprisingly enough, her hand felt solid and warm, as if she were alive.
"Hey, it's no big deal," Akira-san said. "If you made it this far, I'm sure you can handle what they throw at you. Give 'em hell, Chiuri"
As I felt Akira-san's hand on my shoulder, I smiled. I couldn't tell if this was a hallucination, Akira-san's ghost, or if Akira-san herself had come back from the dead, but it felt real enough to me, as if it were something the real Akira-san would say, and I chose to believe it.
"I will," I said. "Thank you for everything, Akira."
I parted ways with Akira, only looking back long enough to wave goodbye. As I blinked back a tear, I still felt as though I hadn't had enough time with Akira, but at least I'd been able to properly say goodbye this time. Perhaps someday, if I lived long enough, I could tell my children of how I'd met the Ultimate Actress, Akira Azuki, and tell them of how she'd become my first true friend.
It was about 8:40 when I encountered the others near the elevator, where the entrance to the ship happened to be. I joined up with the four remaining survivors, and saw they were dressed in their uniforms. Tatsuki-san had taken her guitar with her, while Himeno-san had her bow. I was planning on seeing Mom before we made landfall, and finding out what Monokuma planned on doing with her, but decided to check in with the others first.
"I see you all chose to wear your uniforms to the last stop on our cruise," I said.
"Well, what else do I have to wear?" Kurogane-san said. "Except for my costume, of course."
"It seemed like the natural choice," Sayuri-san said. "We're most used to those, after all."
"Besides, wearing this makes me feel ready for what lies ahead," Himeno-san said. "I wear it to competitions, after all."
"I also wear my uniform when playing at school events," Tatsuki-san said. "It reminds me that I'm representing my school, and encourages me to do my best."
I recalled what Tatsuki-san had said earlier, and thought about Saint Mary's. I'd made mistakes and failed to protect everyone, but I'd always sought to do what I felt was right. My school wouldn't be at all pleased that one of their students had gotten caught up in this killing game, but I'd represented my school as well as I could hope to. Of course, I wasn't the only former Saint Mary's student on the ship, even if the other one was too old to wear the uniform.
Suddenly, the elevator door opened. No one had called the elevator, so I knew there was only one explanation- someone had ridden it up. Since none of us had gone down to Mom's cell, that left one possible person as the elevator's passenger.
As I made that realization, I heard another familiar voice, one I'd heard yesterday, say "Hello, everyone." A moment later, Mom stepped through the elevator door.
"Mom!" I said. "You're out of your cell!"
"Monokuma opened the door and let me go just after we made landfall," Mom said. "He told me that I'd need to be present in person for what's about to happen. I don't know what role he expects me to play, though."
As Mom walked toward us, I ran forward to greet her. Without thinking, I threw my arms around her to hug her, the first time we could touch each other since she was imprisoned. Monokuma then appeared to break up the touching moment.
"Well, that's easy," Monokuma said. "I can't have a graduation exam in place without the teacher. You won't be taking the test, so you won't have a say in what happens, but you can proctor it."
"Fair enough," Mom said as we withdrew from the embrace. "The decision my daughter and the rest of my surviving students make may be out of my hands, but I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds if I offer advice to the students."
"You certainly may," Monokuma said. "Of course, it's up to them whether or not they take it."
"It always is," Mom said. "We appear to be of the same mind on this issue, if nothing else."
"Good point," Monokuma said. "Well, I'll see you at the testing site."
As Monokuma left, I had an epiphany. While I'd been voted into my position of leader by my peers, my authority came from being a stand-in for our teacher. Now that our teacher was back with us, I decided to cut out the middleman.
"I have a request, Nagato-sensei," I said. "While we're investigating the final island for the graduation exam, I'd like you to be in charge once again. After all, you've always been our leader, and now that you're finally able to play that role again, it seems appropriate to acknowledge that."
The others nodded to concur. My tenure as leader had lasted less than two days, but I'd done what I was meant to- serving as a substitute to the actual person in charge of our class. Higurashi-san had entrusted me with the mantle of leadership, but he'd borrowed his from Nagato-sensei, so it only seemed appropriate for me to return it.
"Understood, Nagato-san," Nagato-sensei said. "Everyone, I'd like to ask one thing of you. When you reach the final island, please share any information you may find with the rest of the class, Nagato-san in particular. I'm placing her in charge of the investigation, so do as she says."
The others said "Yes, ma'am," obediently, making me feel a bit jealous of Mom. If I became a teacher someday, I hoped I could command the same level of respect from my students that Mom did from hers.
"I also have a request for you, Nagato-san," Nagato-sensei said, "or rather, Chiyuri. You don't have to call me 'Nagato-sensei', since we clearly have more important things to worry about than our relationship as teacher and student."
"Got it," I said. "I guess I'll only do that if it seems right for the situation."
"Good," Mom said. "I'll be counting on you."
In a way, it was refreshing to once again be acting as a class, even if the school trip had gone off course ever since Monokuma had shown up. The five of us who were left weren't children anymore, since we were high schoolers who'd gone through a great deal of hardship over the past month, but it was nice to have an actual adult with us at our final destination. Even so, I still worried that Mom's guidance wouldn't be enough.
Our final destination was by far the smallest island. It was practically the size of one of those small desert islands that people wash up on in television shows, since it was maybe a few acres of land surrounded by a small beach. There was only one object on the island, a tall building that was immediately recognizable but felt out of place...
It was Talent High School.
Despite the impossibility of the sight before me, and the building looking like a run-down ruin covered in vines, I immediately recognized Talent High School. I'd been there a few times before, and seen it from a distance more times than I could count. There was a time when seeing it caused me to dream about going there; a dream that had since come true, before turning into a nightmare. But how was this possible?
"Wh... Why is Talent High School here?" I said.
"Is something wrong with this, Nagato-san?" Kurogane-san said.
"Very wrong," I said. "I've been to Talent High School a few times, even before I got recruited. The actual school is in the middle of a city, and is only a couple kilometers from my old school, as well as the apartment where my mom and I live."
Even though I'd once again switched back to treating Mom as my teacher, it was appropriate to call her "Mom" when talking about anything she did outside of class. After all, the entire point of not calling her "Mom" at school was to keep our public and private lives separate.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, too," Sayuri-san said. "Part of the reason why Talent High School appealed to me was that it was close to my old one, and I'd still be able to get to the offices of the magazine that runs Breakneck Canyon, as well as the studio where I draw my manga."
I'd heard that Sayuri-san's school was in the same city as Talent High School and Saint Mary's. Of course, it was a bit too prestigious for me to get into, so I opted for my mom's alma mater instead.
"Anyway, this doesn't make any sense," Sayuri-san said. "Even if all the surrounding area was flooded, or had sunk into the sea, what happened to the nearby buildings? Talent High School isn't on a hill or very close to the coast."
"My guess is that this is a replica of Talent High School," I said. "The only question is how well the inside matches the original."
"I agree," Mom said. "I suppose there's only one way to find out."
The six of us descended the gangplank and stepped onto the island. As the last of us set foot onto the beach, the gangplank retracted. We were past the proverbial point of no return, and would have to face whatever Monokuma had in store for u son the island.
With nowhere else to go, we approached the front door, which looked like the door to a bank vault and was locked tight. There was a keypad next to it, with a Gatling gun hanging nearby and an attached note.
Please enter the same code you used to access bridge.
-Monokuma
So this was the true use for the code. The bridge was just a distraction, and Monokuma really wanted us to get into the school itself. Once again, I asked myself, "And then what?", but at the very least, I knew what my next step was.
I put in 1, 1, 0, 3, and 7 in again before pressing Enter, getting another "RIGHT" message as a result. The door began to open, and then...
eND of CHApteR V
cLASs MeMbErS REMainING: 6
Campaign Poster: A memento of Higurashi. It bears the slogan, "Vote Izumi," and a picture of the candidate in question.
Author's Notes
Thank you for sharing your theories on the traitor's identity.
Chiyuri's term as the leader was short-lived, but in the end, both she and Higurashi only saw themselves as substitutes for their teacher.
As they say, "We're in the endgame." There are six installments left. The first part of the final chapter may not be up for a while, though.
Omake
Here's Chiyuri's eulogies for the victims, which could be viewed after checking their doors.
Tsukimura-san... Himeno-san was truly lucky to have a friend like you. I'm sure we'd have become friends, too, if we'd had enough time.
Yamazaki-san...I can't condone what you did, but I, too, let you die so we could live.
Kojima-san...Was Akira-san the only one in the class who mattered to you? I guess we'll never know the answer.
Taiga-san...Your sister's still alive, so your death wasn't in vain. I hope she gets through this for your sake, as well as her own.
Mihama-san...You died too young and so senselessly. Neither of us fit in, but we had people who cared about us.
Akira-san...It's difficult living up to the example you set, but I'll do my best. You were the best friend I've ever had, and I miss you dearly...
Kumakura-san...I wish I'd gotten to know you better, and could have done more for you. I solved your murder, but in the end, that isn't enough.
Kirishima-san...You always seemed so intelligent, rational and calm. Did you really think this was your only solution?
Asakura...Forget it. You know what they say about times when you can't say anything nice...
Karita-san...How much of what you said was true, and how much was false? I guess we'll never know for certain.
Higurashi-san...I'll take care of the others for your and Mom's sake.
And here's Azuki's.
Tsukimura... Himeno was really happy that you could treat her as a friend. I'll look after her.
Yamazaki... I haven't forgiven you for killing Tsukimura, but I feel like a jackass for saying what I did to you before you died. For what it's worth, I'm sorry...
Kojima... You must have known we'd never be together, especially if you'd get the rest of the class killed just to save me, but you tried it anyway. I... don't know what to say about that.
Taiga... You didn't have to die, but I hope that your death isn't in vain.