Mukuro Ikusaba woke up with the morning announcement, sleeping for longer than four hours for the first time in years, the events of the trial taking a toll on her. She sat up and looked to where she had thrown the Junko wig, wondering if she should keep up the facade. Was it too late? Would her classmates become more suspicious?
She decided that, perhaps, it would be best to keep the disguise on, but then reveal herself to people.
"That reminds me..." she mused to herself, plopping the wig on her head. "The detective..."
She couldn't help but wonder about the penetrative gaze Kyoko had given her. And if she knew anything about Makoto, he was trusting. Perhaps to a fault.
"She knows." She muttered to herself.
Of course, even if the detective did know, neither Makoto nor Kyoko knew that Junko had severed the relationship with Mukuro completely.
She needed to talk to them before she dropped the act altogether.
Covering her Fenrir tattoo, she put on the, "Junko Persona," and left her room.
Makoto sat down in the dining hall, trying to absorb the reality of the last few days. He kept expecting Leon or Sayaka to walk in, or Toko to try and rush in without anyone noticing her. But they were gone, and he had to keep forcibly reminding himself of that.
Before long though, all twelve remaining students came in, including Byakuya, despite his prior insistence he wasn't going to join in on these morning meetings.
"Alright. Tell us, Naegi," he scowled. "What do you know?"
As much as he had expected it, Makoto wasn't sure why Byakuya was focusing in on him as opposed to Mukuro, but he took a deep breath to explain -
And was immediately cut off by a Monokuma announcement. "Very urgent! All students must report to the gym, pronto! No time for side conversations! Get here now or face severe punishment!"
"YOU HEARD HIM, WE MUST DEPART NOW!" Kiyotaka yelled. If there was anything he loved more than rules, it was urgent rules. The fast-paced rules got his blood boiling.
"Are you fucking kidding me, this was just about to get good!" Mondo asked, shocked.
"YES, YOU DEGENERATE, WE MUST DEPART!"
The group reluctantly left the cafeteria, and began walking for the gym. Mukuro moved to walk next to Makoto, when Celeste popped in between the two of them.
"Good morning, Enoshima," She said, evenly.
"Oh... uh... hey, Celeste," Mukuro replied, a bit surprised. "You okay? You're a little close."
"Just want to make sure you and Naegi aren't whispering secrets to each other." She gave her fake, gamblers smile. "After all, we still don't know what the truth is with you two."
Mukuro never really played well with others, and the display didn't make her feel better about the conversations that she knew were coming. The gambler was oozing mistrust in her direction.
At the gym, Monokuma sprang up from the podium, once again.
"Ah... you know, it makes me really happy that it only took a day for my motive to do what it needed. You guys really know how to deliver on the thrills, chills and kills!" Monokuma cackled.
"Yo man, thrills and chills are great, but..." Yasuhiro grumbled.
"Well you can't have those things without kills!" Monokuma replied. "And normally I'd give you guys a few days to wallow in despair before I passed out a new motive!"
"Can you maybe still do that?" Hifumi asked, nervously.
"Nope!" Monokuma grinned. "Because this motive relates directly to what you guys were about to talk about."
Makoto's eyes widened, and he and Mukuro exchanged worried looks.
"Thaaaaaat's right!" The headmaster continued. "Secrets. Here!" He brandished files from behind his back, and flung them to the floor. "Everyone take their own!"
Cautiously, all the students found a file with their name. Makoto couldn't find his though.
Mukuro picked up hers, and flipped it open. "The girl presenting as Junko helped the mastermind put you all in this game," the file read. She hid the scowl that was itching to spread across her face.
"What the hell is this shit?" Mondo yelled.
"What is it?" Monokuma asked. "Why, you read it. It's your deepest, darkest secrets from before you came to school!"
Makoto looked across the gym at the horrified faces of his friends. Even Byakua looked more pissed than usual. "But where's...?"
"Oh, and I thought I'd give you some freebies!" Monokuma laughed. "Just consider it extra incentive. Three of them!"
A murmur rose up around all the students, but Kirigiri remained her composure. "And what would those be?"
"I will tell you three statements. And these three statements could all be referring to the same person. Or they could refer to three different people!" Monokuma giggled. "Or, maybe one person can claim two! Who knows! It will be up to you to decide! They might be someone's secret, or they might just be neat little details! It's up to you to figure it out! But if there isn't a murder in 72 hours, then ALL the secrets will be revealed."
Monokuma straightened himself up. "Hem-hem. Alright, so first... someone in this room is working for the Mastermind!"
All the students began to talk over each other, save for Makoto, Kirigiri and Mukuro.
Did... did Junko have another mole in here, Mukuro wondered, eyes shifting between everyone in the room, or is this about me?
"Second: someone has been lying about who they are the whole time!"
Chihiro looked particularly panic-stricken, though only Makoto noticed amongst the rising cries from the other students.
"And the last one..." Monokuma covered his face with his paws and giggled. "Makoto Naegi already knows all of your darkest secrets! Puhuhu! See you guys in three days!"
The bear disappeared before anyone could object, and Makoto's blood ran cold. Every pair of eyes in the gym and turned to glare at him. It was certainly clear now why he didn't have any file on hand for this motive.
"Makoto!" Kiyotaka barked. "How is it possible for this to be true! Surely if you know, you must be the mole too!"
"N-no!" Makoto cried. "I-I'm no such thing!"
"But you do know all these secrets... correct?" Celeste asked, stepping forward. While her tone was usually always the same, it was lowered just enough in this instance to make him feel threatened.
"If he knows the secrets, it means he has been lying about who he is this whole time!" Hifumi cried.
"No, it's nothing like that," Makoto insisted.
"Maybe you should stop fucking making denials and explain shit!" Mondo threatened, punching a fist into a palm. He, and the rest of the class, seemed to be closing in on him. His heart raced and he couldn't help but step backward fearfully.
"All of you back off and give him a chance to actually explain himself!" Kyoko ordered, trying to step towards Makoto.
"The longer you allow him to delay, the more lies he can think of," Byakuya replied, pointing at Kyoko. "Unless you're in leagues with him.
Mukuro's rage reached a boiling point. Junko had put a target on Makoto's back. And she was not going to stand for it. "KNOCK IT OFF!"
Everyone turned to look at her, and in one swift motion, Mukuro took her wig. "I'm the one lying about who I am." For a brief moment, time seemed to stop as everyone stared at her newly revealed face and hair.
"OH MY GOD, SHE'S NOT A REAL BLONDE!" Hifumi screamed, nearly fainting.
"I - what?" Mukuro asked, bewildered. "N-no, that's not it. I'm not Junko Enoshima."
Kiyotaka seemed enraged. "YOUR INTRODUCTION WAS INVALID! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
"My name is Mukuro Ikusaba. I'm the Ultimate Soldier. Junko is my younger twin sister," She replied. "She's the mastermind behind this whole thing."
"What, the model?" Aoi asked, shocked. "Why would a model do this?"
"It's more than just this," Makoto added. Everyone turned back to look at him. "She's been doing things like this for two years."
"That's impossible," Byakuya scowled. "How would we have not heard of such a thing?"
"You have," Makoto answered. "We've been aware of these things for two years. But you guys were forced to forget it."
A silence hung over the gymnasium.
"OH SHIT, ALIENS WIPED MY BRAIN!" Yasuhiro screeched.
"There is nothing there for them to wipe," Celeste replied with a smile.
"N-no," Mukuro explained, "One of our old classmates was the Ultimate Neurologist, Matsuda Yasuke. He had developed a way to force selectable amnesia onto someone. As part of the Mastermind's game, you were forced to forget all the things that happened."
"Wait a fucking second, we got to Hope's Peak on our first day, right?" Mondo asked. "We've only been students here for like, what, three days?"
"No, that's just it," Makoto said, "we've been classmates here for over two years, but those memories were erased. That's why I know all the secrets; because we've all been friends for years and we just became close with everyone else."
There was a scoff of disbelief from Byakuya. "You expect us to believe such a thing? Why tell us now?"
"There is some evidence to support this," Kyoko added. "Come on."
There was a finality in the command, and she turned to walk out of the gym. Hesitantly, all the other students turned to join them. The detective led the students to one of the first floor classrooms. She examined a steel plate covering the windows. "See? These fastenings have already begun to have rust set in. We all remember arriving at Hope's Peak without any signs of windows being sealed in such a way, correct? Then there is no way any of these coverings could rust if things happened in only a day or so."
"An interesting point," Byakuya conceded, "But I would hardly say it's conclusive."
Makoto thought, quickly. He didn't want to betray anyone's trust, so he tried to think of enough information to reveal that would prove he had befriended at least some of them. He just hoped what he was about to do wasn't a bad idea. "Sakura."
"Hm?" The martial artist looked down on him. Her looks usually scared people, but Makoto knew she was a friend. He just hoped she'd remember.
"Kenichiro is still out there," he assured her, gently.
Mukuro watched from a few feet away, muscles tense. She would never admit to anyone, but she was ready to defend Makoto if she had to, especially considering she had saved his life. Sakura's face went from shock, a very brief flash of anger, but then an acceptance. "I see. So you're telling the truth."
"You told all of us about him," Makoto assured her, "Not just me."
"Very well," she nodded. Turning to the rest of the class, she announced, plainly. "He's telling the truth."
"Erm... what exactly does that prove?" Hifumi asked.
"Kenichiro is my first love, and the only person I consider to be stronger than me," the warrior admitted. "If I told all of you, then we could have only grown close to each other."
"Well if Sakura believes him, I believe him!" Aoi piped in, chipperly.
"Well, how do we know these two are telling the truth about Ms. Enoshima being the mastermind?" Celeste asked. "Perhaps it is just those two, and one of them could be construed as a mole?"
"But we were all present when Monokuma has appeared," Kyoko argued. "Neither of them was controlling the bear. It would be almost impossible for them to be headmaster."
"All I can do is tell you my story," Mukuro said, stepping in front of the class. "Either you can believe me... or not."
Everyone turned and gave the soldier their full attention.
And with a deep breath, she told them everything since Junko first was accepted into Hope's Peak. The Most Tragic Incident of Hope's Peak. What they did to class 77b to turn them into the Ultimate Despair. The Tragedy. Their year at Hope's Peak. The memory erasing. The fact that this whole killing game was being broadcast across the whole world.
It was incredibly difficult, and the looks of betrayal and rage she was receiving bore right into her soul. It was an odd feeling; she had never allowed herself to grow close to any classmate other than Makoto for fear of how Junko would feel about it. So when this all happened, she never felt like she was betraying anyone.
It was incredibly difficult to feel that way when the people she had done these things to were looking at her with hurt in her eyes. But, throughout it all, Makoto was giving her a supportive look. For the first time in her life, someone was looking... proud of her?
It was a foreign feeling.
She liked it.
"So, that would make you the mole?" Celeste asked.
"No," Mukuro replied, immediately. "Our... relationship ended when she tried to kill me."
There was that familiar, unpleasant feeling of wanting to cry. Funny how often that was happening these days.
"Unless that was a clever ruse," Byakuya objected.
"It wasn't!" Makoto objected. "I was supposed to lose my memories just like you guys! And I recognized that Mukuro WASN'T Junko. So I went to her for help, and it made them start fighting!"
"Jeez..." Aoi sighed, looking to the ground. "This is a lot to take in. My head really hurts."
"Surely this changes the whole class dynamic," Kiyotaka said. For once, he seemed really thoughtful about the whole thing, instead of his usual loud, brash self. "It's quite unexpected."
"I know it is, but you have to understand, none of these secrets are worth killing each other over," Makoto pleaded. "We've been friends for over two years! We already knew these things about each other."
"I need to consider this," Byakuya huffed, turning to leave. "I'm not entirely convinced of this story. Nor that neither Naegi nor Ikusaba are the moles."
"That is true, we have not determined the nature of the traitor," Celeste replied. "Unless that's something you remember too, Naegi."
Makoto looked to his feet. "No... I thought... it might have been Mukuro too, but that's because we haven't really talked since Junko tried to kill her."
"Perhaps," Sakura suggested, "we should take the rest of the day to consider things."
"That might be for the best," Kyoko agreed. "We are all still processing quite a bit of information."
"I'm still not convinced that Junko or whoever wiped my brain ISN'T with the aliens," Yasuhiro grumbled, turning to leave.
"Yes, well... I believe this gives me an idea for my latest work," Hifumi said, adjusting his glasses and shuffling away.
Slowly, the students left the classroom only Kyoko, Makoto, and Mukuro remained.
"Well," Kyoko said, examining her gloves. "I imagine, if Makoto was telling me the truth, that you two have a lot to talk about."
"You knew," Mukuro said. It wasn't so much a question, though there was something in her voice looking for confirmation. "During the trial. You knew, and didn't say anything."
"There were more pressing matters to attend to," Kirigiri nodded. "I have not, of course, ruled out the possibility that either of you are lying. Or even that the two of you are both moles. That possibility wasn't ruled out by anything Monokuma said. However, I have no reason to disbelieve you at this time, when your stories line up with the circumstances."
"That's... fair," Mukuro admitted.
"What you've done before this... none of us are in a position to forgive," Kyoko continued.
Makoto said the same thing, Mukuro couldn't have helped but thought.
"But... if you're working against your sister now, our goals are the same," Kirigiri finished. She turned to leave. "I could use a nap. Well, no. Truthfully, I could use a strong drink, but barring that, a nap will have to suffice."
The detective left, and Mukuro thought she could see Makoto watching her go.
Something writhed in her heart. Those two had always been close, and it had never been easy for her to stomach.
Four months had passed since being locked in Hope's Peak. As the Tragedy raged on outside, class 78 was beginning to get a little stir crazy. Temper's were running high, and it seemed like four days couldn't go by without Sakura breaking up a fight.
Junko couldn't have been happier. Watching the students strong bond break was enough despair to hold her over until the preparations for the killing game was complete.
Mukuro stayed out of it. While Junko prepared, there wasn't much for her to do outside of picking locks or lifting crates from the warehouse.
A bit restless herself, she had wandered to the Dining Hall after already making the rounds across all five floors. She figured she could rest her feet.
Walking in, she saw Junko seated at a table, completely engrossed in the news. At another table, Makoto was sitting, eating a snack he had prepared himself. He smiled at Mukuro.
Sometimes it felt like the only thing getting her through the days was that smile. It was her sunshine in the windowless shelter. As usual, he patted the seat next to him to invite her over. She couldn't help but think it was cute.
As she sat down next to him, he asked, "What's up, Mukuro?"
She shrugged. "Nothing much. Remember when you asked if I was restless?"
He chuckled a bit. "Yeah. I think we're all feeling it now."
Before the two could talk more, shouting could be heard out in the hallway. Mukuro and Makoto turned towards the door to look, though neither could make out the words.
From the voices, they could tell it was Kyoko and Jin Kirigiri arguing.
"Wow..." He muttered, "Kyoko never raises her voice. Must be serious."
"Hmm," Mukuro hummed in agreement. "Well. She never seems to see eye to eye with her dad."
"That's unfortunate." His smile returned though. "But hey, if we're all stuck in here, maybe they'll have time to understand each other better."
He always hoped for the best for everyone. Not just himself. It made her heartbeat quicken. She didn't know people like that existed, and he surprised her every time. "Y-yeah. That'd be good."
Kyoko suddenly stormed into the dining hall. Her expression was stoic as usual, but as she sat down at a separate table, her glare was so filled with rage that Mukuro could have sworn it'd burn a hole in the wall opposite of her.
And Makoto Naegi was not one to sit around while someone was upset. "Excuse me, Mukuro," he said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.
She watched him walk away, curious about what he would do. Minutes later, he returned, a mug of coffee in each hand. He sat down across from Kyoko, and placed a mug in front of her. The detective gave him a quizzical look. And as Makoto took a sip of the drink, he immediately made a face that gave away he wasn't usually a coffee drinker. The expression even earned a small laugh and smile from Kyoko.
"I guess it's an acquired taste," he said. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you knew how to play billiards."
As he chatted away with Kyoko, it was easy to see her bad mood melt away. It was something Mukuro admired about him, his ability to make others feel better, to draw out their best qualities.
But her insides writhed and screamed to watch him give that attention to another girl.
She could hear Junko walking up and sitting down beside her. "I bet it feels like someone's grinding your stomach right now, doesn't it?"
Mukuro gave a nod so small, only her sister could see.
"Jealousy is such an ugly feeling, isn't it sis?" Junko whispered. "Not something they taught you about in the Fenrir, huh?"
Mukuro nodded. "Yeah. An ugly feeling for an ugly girl."
"That's right," Junko snickered. "I'm training you well. It's no wonder, isn't it? Look at those long legs of hers. Of course he'd want her instead of you."
"Right," Mukuro said, quietly. "Like you said, I'm fat, ugly, and useless."
"So much so, you couldn't even bag someone as plain as Naegi. What a disappointment."
Mukuro shook the memory out of her head as Kyoko shut the door behind her. Kirigiri had given her the chance now; jealousy was not productive at the time.
She turned to see Makoto was looking directly at her. His expression held a lot of things that she had trouble identifying - she wasn't used to seeing people looking at her like that. Remorse? Empathy? Sympathy? Concern? Maybe all of those things.
"Mukuro, what happened?" He asked, stepping towards her with his hands in his hoodie pockets.
For whatever reason, she instinctively took a step backward. "Just... you had been right. She knew I had been working with you. Or at least... helping you."
Makoto frowned. "So... she tried to kill you?"
Mukuro said nothing. She was mentally bracing for an, "I told you so," or, "well, what did you expect?"
Those words never came though. Once it became clear she wasn't going to say anything, Makoto scratched the back of his head. "I'm so sorry, Mukuro. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now... but... I'm sorry." His voice was strained and he looked like he wanted to step towards her again, but he held back from doing so.
"Why are you apologizing to me?" She asked. Her tone had more bite to it than she had anticipated, taking her by surprise. "You don't get it, Makoto. I'm a killer. I'm part - or was part, or something - of Ultimate Despair. It might as well be my fault Sayaka and Leon are dead."
"No," he replied, gently. "That's wrong. You did your best to help me. And... if Junko was all you had, like you said..."
He trailed off, and for the first time, Mukuro didn't feel like the two of them were Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak. They were just two awkward teenagers having a hard time communicating.
"I can't imagine someone I care about trying to kill me... and then having the nerve to sever ties with me." Makoto said. He clenched his fists. "I'm sorry I never noticed what was going on with you two... but I don't think she treated you right if you thought were only good for spreading her despair."
Mukuro looked to the ground. Makoto's words, like usual, were wriggling under her skin, breaking through all the barriers she'd learned to put up with the outside world. Her eyes were watering and she reflexively folded her arms.
"I'm going to get us all out of here," He continued. "And... we'll fix everything. Then you don't have to feel bad about it."
"You're really naive, Makoto," she said, letting out a small laugh. "This isn't something that can be fixed. I can't just wash my hands and pretend they've never killed."
"No, you can't." He agreed. But her stepped forward and grabbed her hand. She held back the urge to gasp as he did. "But you can use them to build a better future. And... I'll be there for you every step of the way. You've done so much for me. Maybe you don't think so, but..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I always looked at you as this pinnacle of strength. You were always looking out for me. So, I'm going to be in your corner, whether you like it or not."
Mukuro let a tear fall and a smile creep across her face. "You're... more stubborn than you let on, you know that?"
"If I wasn't stubborn and optimistic, I would be completely average," he laughed.
"I don't think so," Mukuro replied, quietly. "But... thank you. I don't know how confident I feel about this whole... fighting for a better future thing, but I swore I was going to stop Junko if she was going to sever ties with me."
"Well, I'll just have to enough hope and optimism for both of us," he smiled. "It's the least I can do." He laughed again. "I just hope I don't get on your nerves."
To his shock, Mukuro closed the gap between the two of them and wrapped her arms around his waist. It was rather awkward positioning for a hug, but it struck Makoto that she might not have ever actually hugged someone before. Gently, he returned the gesture.
"You won't." She replied. "Thank you."
Makoto's heart began hammering against his chest. Her back was lithe and muscular, but her chest, pressed against his, still felt soft. As she pulled away from her, he got a good look at her pale blue eyes and freckles. He had a weird feeling in his chest like he wanted to protect her. It was a silly feeling; she could snap his neck without breaking a sweat. She was probably the last person here needing protecting. Still, it was a feeling he had and didn't feel like it was going to go away.
Mukuro had thought about hugging Makoto for a long time, but it didn't compare to the real thing. He had a warmth that was unfamiliar to her. He smelled good, too. He might not realize, but she owed him so much. And she wasn't going to let anyone hurt him.
"Now... I think we should take Kirigiri up on what she said," Mukuro sighed. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."
He smiled, and her heart faced again. "Yeah. I'm pretty exhausted."
The two left the classroom together.
In her control room, Junko blanched. "Ugh. Those two are gross."