TW: HANGING
[execution name by kokichi_is_a_liar on reddit]
3:00 pm, Kazuichi's cottage.
Kazuichi is currently sitting on his bed in his cottage, thinking about how he needs to get out of here. He needs to get out of this killing game. He doesn't want to kill anyone, let alone be killed.
But... the only way out... is murder. Like Monokuma said, to get out of this he needs to kill someone and get away with it. Kazuichi isn't sure how he would murder someone. For a person like him, lying isn't his best suit. Even if he came up with the most brilliant plan, there would always be a piece of evidence left behind that could frame Kazuichi as the killer.
Hajime seems to know what he's doing. He's calm and collected and knows what to do. A disadvantage. Kazuichi doesn't want to kill Hajime. He's his soul friend, his best buddy, and to stoop that low and kill him is unjustifiable. Hajime is probably the only person who actually treats him like normal.
Kazuichi sighs, braiding the part of his hair that's always been braided out of habit. He does it whenever he feels nervous. It's always been like that since he was young. Kazuichi and his family had always been in rough times, moneywise. He'd sometimes feel anxious when he saw his father, sitting at the table with all the bills, stressed out. It made Kazuichi wonder if he really was useful in his father's shop.
He flumps onto his bed. He can think about this later. No need to stress or worry. He snuggled himself into the pillows, and...
But wait, if he didn't escape from this killing game, then how would his family manage to run the shop? Kazuichi shot up from his bed, eyes widening as he realized. He had to get out of here.
How, though? He glanced at his door as he heard a knock. He stood up from his bed, reaching for the doorknob.
"Hey, Kazuichi!" Hajime waved. Kazuichi smiled, waving back and responding with a "What do you want, soul friend?"
"Um.. you don't have to call me that, you know..." Hajime said, looking a bit confused, rejecting the idea of a so-called nickname. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if we could hang out together. I was going to ask Nagito, but he's being weird as fuck."
Kazuichi felt a little hurt that Hajime rejected his soul friend nickname, but he did want to hang out with Hajime. "Sure! Where do you want to go?" He's hoping that he can catch Hajime alone, in a place where nobody will go.
"I was thinking that we could go to the airport. Since you're really good at mechanics, I wanted to watch you take apart an airplane... After all, it may jog my memory on what my talent is." Hajime said, letting out a laugh. Kazuichi nodded, grabbing his toolbox and closing the door behind him as he followed Hajime. He glanced back at his cottage one last time, sighing.
They walked slowly. On the way, they talked about things like mechanics and Kazuichi's talent. Kazuichi kept on looking around, keeping the focus on his surroundings. If anyone saw him with Hajime, and then Hajime turned up dead, he'd be suspected faster than you'd know it. His face fell a little flushed, his nails were digging into his palm, and...
"Are you going to kill me?"
Holy shit. How did he know?! "Huh? Where did you get that assumption from? I would never kill you! Do you not trust me?" Kazuichi responded. Where did he get that from? His hands felt sweaty, his eyes darted at Hajime and the floor, and shit now's he going to be more on guard. How will I kill him? I don't even have a solid plan, and...
"Oh, it just crossed my mind. I do trust you! It's just that..." Hajime trailed off. "..Ah, we're here. Now would you please show me how you do these things? I could never do what you do!" Kazuichi let out a nervous laugh, grabbing Hajime's hand and leading him inside.
Hajime and Kazuichi sat down. Kazuichi walked over to a stationed airplane and grabbed the handy toolbox that he had brought with him... "Okay, we can start easy. Just open this bottom panel at the left-wing, mingle with the wires, and have fun. This one should be fairly easy, for your level." He moved over, leaving the space for Hajime, who responded with a "thanks''.
Hajime unscrewed the panel, sticking his hand in the wires. As he watched Hajime fumble with the wires, he couldn't stop taking his mind off of it. He had the tools, he was all alone, but he didn't have a solid plan. He needed a plan. What if he asked someone to make an event so that when the murder actually happened, it would be impossible to pinpoint the crime on him?
Oh, I've got an idea! He could ask Ibuki to throw a party, get everyone there, and then sneak out and kill Hajime. Boom. Genius plan.
Although how would he sneak Hajime out to here? There was no way he could sneak Hajime out of the party. Someone would've had to see him with Hajime, and he'd be blamed for the crime.
He saw a hammer and rope in his toolbox. No way are you doing this... He slowly moves to the toolbox, picking up the hammer. As he grips it in his hands, he stares at Hajime quietly. Hajime, sensing the quietness, turns back at Kazuichi. Kazuichi quickly took the chance and hit him with the hammer. Hajime crouched over in pain. Kazuichi then dropped the hammer and picked the rope up, grabbing Hajime's hands and quickly tying them in a messy but tight knot.
"Kazuichi, what are you doing?!" Hajime squirms in Kazuichi's grip, face filled with confusion and fear. He tries to kick Kazuichi, but to no avail. He feels himself being lifted, and then kicked to the ground, where Kazuichi ties his legs. Kazuichi picks up his hammer and hits him with it again, knocking Hajime out.
Hajime was on the floor, eyes closed and limp. There was some blood pouring down his face, from the injury. Not dead, but knocked out. Kazuichi wasn't that strong. He couldn't just kill someone with one blow. He put his hammer back in his toolbox. He decided to put his beanie into Hajime's mouth to prevent him from screaming in case he woke up.
He heard light footsteps, although he wasn't sure if it was himself or someone else. He glanced at Hajime. He had to go, now. He stood up, running out of the airport.
3:45pm, Rocketpunch Market.
"Hey, Ibuki!"
Ibuki was standing in front of the party section, fumbling to get the lights from the top of the shelves. When she heard Kazuichi, she turned around, waving.
"Kazuichi! How are ya doing?" Ibuki asked, staring at Kazuichi.
"I just wanted to know if we could throw a party. Y'know, to lighten up the mood and stuff!" Kazuichi said, smiling and showing his shiny white teeth. He tried to show off his most convincing face and tried to look super hyped and happy. If Ibuki rejected Kazuichi, she would feel super bad, right?
"Yeah! Yeah! Ibuki can throw a party for everyone! I can play my songs, like 'I squeezed the baby out but I have no idea who the father is!" She said happily, jumping around and clapping her hands. "You go tell everyone that we're throwing a beach party at 5:00 pm, and I'll get everything ready. Meet up at the beach when you're done!"
Kazuichi nodded, leaving the market. Okay, game plan. Invite everyone to the party, then somehow get every person including himself to leave the party for one reason or another. I would be suspected, of course, but everyone else would also be suspected. I would have a solid alibi [Ibuki] and I would go off scot-free! Now, I just need to not act too suspicious at the class trial, and then-
"Hey, watch where you're going, bastard!" Kazuichi felt himself bump into someone, and they tumbled to the ground, Kazuichi on top of Fuyuhiko. He felt his cheeks turn slightly pink, pushing himself off of Fuyuhiko. After dusting himself off, he stuck his hand out to Fuyuhiko, who unwillingly took it.
"Uh... sorry, Fuyuhiko. Wasn't looking where I was going." He gave the short man in front of him a nervous smile. Fuyuhiko didn't react, though. Instead, Fuyuhiko had a confused look on his face, staring at Kazuichi's head.
"Where did your hat go?" Fuyuhiko asked, pointing his hair out. Kazuichi's hands immediately shot up to his hair, but he remembered where he left it. He decided to lie to Fuyuhiko, with an 'Oh, I left it at my cottage. It's a hot day, and I don't want to be sweating..."
Fuyuhiko nodded, showing a grin to Kazuichi as he agreed with what he said. "I know, I just need something to distract me from all this hot heat. I swear they don't have air conditioning in the cottages. I'm dying in this shithole!"
Perfect opportunity. "Then why not come to Ibuki and I's party? We're hosting it today, at 5:00 pm."
"Wh- Hell no! I don't want to be murdered in there! I don't need to get attached to anyone here. Especially when trust can get you killed." Fuyuhiko had a point, but Kazuichi knew that Fuyuhiko was probably the hardest to convince [Other than Gundham, ugh.]. But he had something that he was sure would get Fuyuhiko to go.
"But the beach is cool at 5:00 pm. That's why Ibuki and I are holding the party there. It's big, and it feels great. We're having a beach party. C'mon, you know you wanna go." Okay, maybe he shouldn't have said the last part, but it just slipped out.
Fuyuhiko glared at him, his gold eyes glaring into Kazuichi's pink ones. "Fine, I'll go. You've made up quite an impression for me. Good job." And with that, Fuyuhiko walked away.
Okay, one down, twelve more to go. It was fairly easy getting everyone to go, most agreeing.
Akane immediately agreed when Kazuichi mentioned the food that was going to be there. Nekomaru also joined Akane, but not because of the food. It was because he wanted to help lead the party, being the ultimate team leader. Byakuya had also agreed, both because of the food and that he would 'watch everyone to make sure a murder didn't happen'. He had told them 'If you feel sick at any time during the party, you are free to leave.'
To compromise, Kazuichi had told Teruteru that if he made some delicious food, a hot big-boobed lady would surely gobble it up, and 'Hey, wouldn't that be a good sight to see?'. They were both weird like that. He also knew that if everyone ate up the food too fast, Teruteru would have to run in and out to make more food. Sorry, Teruteru...
He had told Peko that Fuyuhiko was going, and strangely, she agreed to go. He wondered why she agreed so quickly, but he assumed it was because of past connections. Since they had similar talents [Fighting people, and stuff.], he just assumed that they were somehow close, even when he's never seen them interact. Sonia agreed to go, and surprisingly, Gundham followed Sonia, saying that he would go to the party. Agh, damn it. Gundham, are you trying to steal Miss Sonia from me?!
Mikan, Hiyoko, and Mahiru were easy to convince. Once they heard that Ibuki was playing music, they lit up like a pack of lightbulbs and talked about how they wanted to join Ibuki and make a sort of... band? He didn't really care about that kind of stuff. He was just happy that they were willing to go. 'There's instruments at Rocketpunch Market. If you need different ones at any time, feel free to quickly run out and get them.'
Chiaki also agreed but said that she might fall asleep in the middle of the party since she plays games a lot. Kazuichi told her that she could leave at any time. "It's okay. If you're tired, just leave the party and go to bed." He had one more person to ask. Nagito Komaeda. He had gone up to Nagito, asking him if he wanted to go to the party. "Of course, Kazuichi! Why would I pass up the opportunity to learn about my classmates?" Nagito seemed a bit weird, but Kazuichi just ignored him. He walked away, on the way checking on Hajime.
He was still passed out. Why didn't Kazuichi just kill Hajime already? He needed an alibi. Alibis are everything, right? They can tell stories, protect you, go against others. Truly magical. Kazuichi glanced one more time, back at Hajime. It was too late, now. Everything was going to plan.
He walked back to the beach, seeing Ibuki. "Hey! We have all the party supplies. Now hurry, we've only got an hour!" Ibuki said, pointing to the many boxes and 'Oh my god is it just us two doing all the work?'
4:50 pm, Beach.
Kazuichi and Ibuki were pretty much finished setting up all the party stuff. Along the way, people had come along and joined the hard-working group. Teruteru had most of the food ready, while Nekomaru and Byakuya were brainstorming on what activities everyone could do together. The party was pretty much almost complete. They were just waiting for everyone to arrive.
Akane and Chiaki arrived first, in bikinis of course. Kazuichi had to resist the urge to stare. Sonia and Gundham came next. He was surprised to see Gundham in swimming shorts, and Sonia in a wetsuit. Maybe he could have a little fun?
As everyone else arrived, he went over to Nekomaru and Byakuya. "Hey, what have you guys planned?" Kazuichi glanced at the paper they were holding. "Swimming race, huh? I wonder if there's an ultimate swimmer somewhere..." He said, making Byakuya chuckle and Nekomaru snort. Nekomaru took the paper from Byakuya, who grudgingly gave the paper, and read the paper out.
"Alright! We've got beach volleyball, a swimming race, and a scavenger hunt. How does that sound?" Nekomaru beamed, flexing his muscles a little as he gave the both of them a smile.
"It's perfect! Oh wow, you really are the ultimate team manager..." Kazuichi gushed, making Nekomaru's cheeks turn bright red. He gave an encouraging smile to Nekomaru and Byakuya. "Well, I'll be going now... But I think 3 activities are good enough." Kazuichi gave a thumbs up, leaving the two and walking over to Teruteru.
"How's the food going?" Kazuichi asked.
"Well... We have Mongolian beef, ribs sided with a fruit platter, garlic butter steak bites for anyone who just wants a snack..." Teruteru started, but Kazuichi interrupted.
"Bro, this is a beach party, not an elite 5-star restaurant!" Kazuichi laughed, putting his arm on Teruteru's shoulder.
"W-Well... We also have freebie snacks like chips, pop, and ice cream for anyone who doesn't want meat. Ibuki suggested it, of course. What do you think about Ibuki? She's cute, but not my type..." Teruteru made a perverted face, talking about the girls' breast sizes and how compatible they'd be with him. Kazuichi just slowly walked away. Even he had some common sense, sometimes. He watched as Chiaki walked over to Teruteru and slapped him. Kazuichi laughed at the sight.
"Alright, everyone! Gather up!" Nekomaru beamed. Everyone started walking over and piling up in a circle.
"Okay. Welcome to the beach party! We have 3 activities that we'd like everyone to participate in, but if you don't want to then you don't have to! We have beach volleyball, a scavenger hunt, and lastly a swimming race to end the night off! Of course, we'll be starting the activities later, as I'm sure you haven't eaten dinner yet. Dig up!" Nekomaru said, and everyone dispersed, getting the food that Teruteru made.
Kazuichi grabbed a plate of food and sat down. He was eating by himself when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Hey, hey! Have you seen Hajime? I haven't seen him enter here." Chiaki asked.
"No, I haven't seen him." Kazuichi answered.
"Oh, then I'll have to go look for him..." Chiaki started to walk away. Kazuichi couldn't let her go! She would find Hajime sooner or later, and then...
"Won't you miss the activities?" Kazuichi desperately said.
"It's okay. I didn't want to participate in them anyway.." Chiaki said, starting to walk away.
"I'm sure he's locked up in his room!" Kazuichi shouted out. Chiaki turned around, nodding with a ''thank you" and leaving. Okay. One down, 13 more to go.
He walked over to where Akane was sitting. She was happily gobbling up her food. "Uh... Akane?"
"Oh, hey! Whaddya want?" Akane said mouth stuffed full of food.
"Where did Nekomaru and Byakuya go? I haven't seen them around..." Kazuichi muttered, staring at something that wasn't her eyes.
"Oh! They went to go get supplies for the activities. Nekomaru left first, and then Byakuya later went after him, saying 'He's taking too long. He probably needs some help.' and left. I'm just here all alone!" Akane pouted.
"Well," Kazuichi glanced at Nagito, who was staring at him, dead straight in the eyes. Jeez, he's creepy. Kazuichi then glanced over at Mahiru, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki sitting together. Wait... Were Mikan and Hiyoko actually getting along for once?! He saw them both laughing, but soon Hiyoko saw Mikan and slapped her. Maybe it was best he didn't go over there... "Maybe you can go hang out with Ibuki and the rest of her group?" He said, pointing to them.
"Good idea! Thanks, Kazuichi." Akane said, running away. "Hey! Let me join!"
Kazuichi looked at the group, Akane added. Maybe they could play some music later. At the end of the night, when everything's done, they could play some music and jam out...
"Hey, Kazuichi. What are you doing, just standing there? You look like a goddamn idiot. Come sit with me." Fuyuhiko said, scaring Kazuichi. Fuyuhiko let out a snort.
"Oh, uh... sure?" Kazuichi said. "Hey, why are you inviting me to sit with you?"
"Because you convinced me to come here, and I'm actually having fun. On any other occasion, I would've said no, and missed this."
"Aw, Fuyuhiko's warming up, to me of all people!" Kazuichi gushed, enticing a blush from Fuyuhiko.
"H-hey, don't take this the wrong way! Now come and sit with me and Peko." Fuyuhiko guided Kazuichi to where he and Peko were sitting, and Kazuichi took a seat.
"Hello, Kazuichi. It is my pleasure to be accompanying you." Peko said, with a stern look on her face.
"Hey... Peko, why don't you lighten up once in a while? It's a party, for god's sake. Cheer up!" Fuyuhiko said, smiling.
"I do not know what you mean by lighten up, but if my young- I mean if you say so, I shall fulfill your wishes." Peko gave both Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko a small smile. They started talking about things, laughing and smiling. The mood was going up and everyone seemed happy.
It's such a shame that I won't be hanging out with them much longer... I really liked them a lot. Kazuichi smiled. He was almost close, almost there...
Wait. What if Chiaki found Hajime, and saw my beanie in his mouth?! Kazuichi shot up, an excuse to Fuyuhiko and Peko that he 'had to go the bathroom' and left. Once he was out of sight he started to run to the airport. He had to get there in time.
On the way, he saw Nekomaru and Byakuya. "Hey, I was just going to head back to the beach. Wanna come with me?"
"Alright! We've lost the way, anyway." Nekomaru beamed, Byakuya shaking his head in shame. Kazuichi started walking, Byakuya and Nekomaru following him.
"Hey, did you hide everything for the treasure hunt yet?" Kazuichi asked. Byakuya shook his head.
"We have one item left, although we both can't decide what to choose. Why don't you choose one? You've been helping a lot." Byakuya handed a sheet of paper to him. "No worries, I and Nekomaru won't look at this until it's time for the scavenger hunt. You can go and hide it later on."
Kazuichi quickly jotted down the first thing he could think of. He handed the paper back to Byakuya and they went on their way.
5:20pm, Jabberwock Airport.
Hajime groaned, tensing up and squinting his eyes, trying to adjust to the new light. He immediately shot up, feeling the rope on his hands and legs. He screamed in horror, but the beanie in his mouth muffled it. He spat it out to the side, glancing at it. "Is this Kazuichi's hat?"
He looked around at his surroundings. Why was he at the airport? He couldn't remember anything... How did he get here? He felt all sweaty and hot. Why was this?
As he heard the door open, he turned around. "Ch-Chiaki!" He begged out.
"Hajime...? What were you doing?! I was so worried..." Chiaki started, but Hajime interrupted.
"Chiaki... what happened? Why am I here?" Hajime desperately said. He needed answers. He was so confused, he didn't know what to do.
"You don't look so well... I was looking for you! We're having a party and you didn't show up! I was worried sick!" Chiaki shrieked, making Hajime feel bad. Was it his fault that he ended up like this?
No, it wouldn't have been. "Hey, is this Kazuichi's hat? I'll return it to him." Chiaki added, picking up his hat. Wait, was Chiaki going to leave him? No, she couldn't, he needed to know what was going on. As he was about to say something, Chiaki suddenly turned around and ran.
"I'll get Mikan to treat you! You look sick..." And with that Chiaki was out. Dang. Was he really supposed to just wait here until Mikan and Chiaki came? He was still clueless about what happened, or how he got here.
He didn't know what to do anymore...
5:23 pm, Outside.
Kazuichi leads Nekomaru and Byakuya through the way of the airport. If his predictions were correct, Chiaki would have entered the airport last. It was the last place that Hajime would be. As he passed by the doors, Chiaki suddenly burst out, running in the opposite direction.
"Hey, Chiaki!" Kazuichi called out, but she just kept running. "No response, huh? I'll go check on her. Byakuya, Nekomaru, just keep on going that way and you'll reach the beach." Kazuichi pointed. Byakuya and Nekomaru gave their thanks and left.
Kazuichi looked around, making sure nobody was looking. Then, he went inside the airport.
His eyes immediately caught Hajime's. He was wide awake, confused, and in a daze.
"Ah, Hajime. You're awake... Hello." Kazuichi started. He glared at Hajime below him.
"What are you doing?! Leave me alone! Get away from me!" Hajime screamed, squirming and trying to move away.
"Let me explain what happened. You asked me to go to the airport with you, so I took it as a chance to murder you."
"Why do I feel so dizzy? And why are you doing this? Why pick me, your soul friend?" Hajime pleaded with Kazuichi.
"You feel weird because I knocked you out with a hammer. There's blood currently going down your face right now. I was helping you out as bros do. I'm doing this to you because... I'm jealous of you. Everyone likes you and cares about you, but I'm thrown off to the side. It's like you're the protagonist in a story and I'm the comedic relief. It's not fair... You're all important, and me... I'm just a useless person who'll probably die sooner or later. And... You ruined our friendship. You weren't loyal at all! It's like you didn't want me around. You always wanted to get away from me." Kazuichi said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Kazuichi... You don't have to do this. You can untie me, and we'll talk this out. I never knew you... felt this way-"
"See?! This is another problem. You only care when it's your problem! And don't get me started on the 'Why pick me, your soul friend?' and shit. Before, you were all like 'Uh, don't call me soul friend' like you didn't want to be seen around me! You only care about yourself..." Kazuichi said, tears streaming down his face. In a fit of rage, he put his hands over Hajime's neck and started choking him.
"I hate you, Hajime! I hope you rot in hell!" Hajime wasn't responding. He was gasping for air, shaking and turning different shades of blue and purple. Hajime wheezed as he tried to get a breath of air, but failed. "K-Kazu... ichi... I'm sorry!" Hajime tried to scream as he was frantically moving for air. When did Kazuichi get this strong? He tried to hit Kazuichi in the face [with his head], but that only resulted in Kazuichi dodging the blow and instead of hitting him in the face, leaving a bruise. His vision was getting blurrier, his sight of a mad, horrifying Kazuichi clouding his mind. His world started going dark, and he slowly went limp in Kazuichi's arms, dead.
Once Kazuichi had regained his senses, he dropped Hajime in horror. Did he really just kill Hajime...? He screamed, tears still rolling down his face. He stared at his hands, his body trembling. Terror clouded his mind as he freaked out. Why did he do it? His knees crashed to the ground, hugging Hajime as he sobbed. He regretted this. He regretted it so much.
And yet, he had still said those things to Hajime. His last words to Hajime... were not kind ones. He had choked him out in anger. In rage. He needed to run. His last shred of dignity was gone, at least in his eyes. He got up, glancing at Hajime. He was pale. but a dark shade of blue. His neck had a purple ring-like bruise, and his face was stuck in pure terror. Kazuichi almost screamed. He looked around frantically, and ran, leaving Hajime's dead body there.
5:45 pm, Beach.
Kazuichi had run to the beach, which was... mostly empty?! He wiped the sweat off his face as he tried to act as naturally as he could. He scanned the beach, seeing Mahiru and Peko together. They looked like... they were looking for something? He decided to walk up to them.
"Hey, where's everyone?" Kazuichi asked.
"Oh, we're doing a scavenger hunt activity now. You and Chiaki missed the beach volleyball... Sorry." Mahiru said, giggling. Kazuichi could feel both of their presence staring at him. He felt a bit nervous about it.
"Oh, Byakuya told me to give you this," Peko said, passing a piece of paper and a pen to Kazuichi. Kazuichi took the piece of paper, scanning the list. He took the pen with his other hand.
"What's this?" Kazuichi asked. Did it look like a... list?
"It's a list of things that we have to find. When you see it, check the box off. Whoever finds every item first wins a sort of... prize." Peko said. She pointed to the hole in the sand. "The first item is a seashell. It's over there. Just giving you a head start. All the items are spread out everywhere."
"Thanks!" Kazuichi waved as he walked over to the hole, checking the box off. As he looked at the paper closer, he noticed...
"Oh my god." He suddenly remembered what he wrote. It was creative, he had to admit, but why there? He had written a "wing". Most people would mistake it for a chicken wing, or an animal, but not Kazuichi. The reason he wrote it was because he was in a hurry, and the first thing he remembered was Hajime fixing that airplane wing, and oh my god he needs to run there right now.
He ran as fast as his legs could take him, even though he literally just ran before. He soon reaches the airport, running into...
"Ah, Kazuichi! No need to fear! I haven't murdered Hajime, although I know that you did..." Nagito said, his sly expression giving Kazuichi chills.
"What? No, I didn't!" Kazuichi screamed. Nagito let out an unintentional laugh.
"Ahahaha!" Nagito laughed, his hands up in the air as if he was shrugging. His expression then turned cold, grabbing Kazuichi by the collar. "I know you murdered Hajime. I saw him at your cottage, I saw you leave with him towards the airport. Once you started turning your head around though, I ran away. I'm such a loser! Anyways, I followed you and saw you knock Hajime out. You did some very perverted things, you know. I saw you. You're a disgusting mess." Nagito hissed, his grip tightening on Kazuichi's collar.
"After, I saw you talking to people at the beach, convincing them to go away and do something so they wouldn't have an alibi. Although I didn't directly see you murder Hajime, I noticed that your beanie wasn't on your head. After you left Hajime, I went inside and looked at him. He had your beanie in his mouth! You were so panicky. You must've stuffed it in there to prevent Hajime from screaming if he woke up. Isn't that right, Kazuichi?" Nagito whispered in Kazuichi's ear, getting dangerously close.
''Wh-Wha... No, wait... How did...?" Kazuichi gasped, staring at Nagito. Why was he watching him? Maybe he should kill Nagito, too. Nagito must've realized this, and backed away.
"I know what happened purely because of my luck! It's so hope-filled that it helped me solve a murder case! Oh, hope..." Nagito said, moaning under his breath. Kazuichi was creeped out. "Please, tell me. How did he die?"
"I- I choked him... out of anger." Wait, why was he telling Nagito this?
"No worries, Kazuichi. I'll help you out. Hang his body in the back, where no one can see. Everyone will think he committed suicide since it looks like he died from choking." Nagito suggested. "Now c'mon. People are going to come here soon. Help me untie these knots."
Kazuichi walked over, untying the rope knot on Hajime's hands. He wondered why Nagito was helping him, of all people. If anything, Nagito should've been mad at Kazuichi, them being friends and all. But should he really use Nagito's help? He wasn't really sure, but if someone was going to give him an alibi and cover for him, then it was worth it. Kazuichi was getting desperate.
Kazuichi picked up Hajime's body, being the strongest out of the two, and started dragging his body to the back of the airplanes. Meanwhile, Nagito grabbed the rope that was used to tie Hajime's hands, walking over and putting the rope around Hajime's neck, tightening it and tying it so that it now looked like a noose around Hajime. Kazuichi glanced at the noose.
"How do you know how to make a noose? Are ya' suicidal or something?" Kazuichi asked, but Nagito didn't answer. Maybe he didn't want to say anything, or maybe he did commit suicide but he doesn't want to talk. Either way, Kazuichi doesn't care. He picks up the end of the rope and ties it around the tail of the airplane, Hajime's body going up. "Perfect."
And as Kazuichi and Nagito come out from the back, they see Chiaki and Mikan.
"But, Mikan... I could've sworn I saw-" Chiaki stops when she sees the two. "Oh, Kazuichi. Here's your hat back. I saw it lying on the floor around here."
"Thanks! I was fixing something here earlier, and I got an oil spill on this, so..." Kazuichi smiles, putting his beanie back on. "Anyway, one of the items on this list is a wing, and I found the item! It was pretty clever, but it was actually an airplane wing!... But I only know this because I was the one who made this item on the list, after all. Byakuya and Nekomaru gave me a chance to pick an item, and I chose this one." Kazuichi tried to distract the three with him from going over there. "Might as well cross it off right now."
"Yep, yep. There. Only 2 more items to go!" Chiaki exclaimed, walking away.
"W-wait for me!" Mikan shouted, running after Chiaki. Nagito glanced at Kazuichi, a sinister smirk on his face. It gave Kazuichi chills.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Continue your plan, like normal. Act calm, and when you see the body, freak out!" Nagito laughed, leaving Kazuichi dumbfounded. Did Nagito really just help him? Why was he helping him? Kazuichi didn't even bother to answer those questions. He quickly speed-walked out of the airport, leaving to go find more items. But instead of actually doing the scavenger hunt, he went on to his next plan.
He knew that the band was going to play some music at the end. He decided to hide the instruments by spreading them out everywhere in far but easy spots. He did want to see them perform, after all. He started by running to Rocketpunch Market and grabbing the instruments. A guitar, a triangle, and a small drum. He ran to different places, basically throwing each instrument in a random spot. He ran as fast as his legs could go. He wasn't as so looking where he was going, and he bumped into someone.
"Ouch... Ah!" Kazuichi opened his eyes, his hand rubbing his head. His head was throbbing after that. His eyes widened as he realized the situation he was in. He had somehow bumped and landed on top of... Peko. Peko Pekoyama was under him right now, face writhing in pain and disgust. Kazuichi could only hope that nothing happened below.
"I'm s-sorry... I wasn't looking where I was going, and.." Kazuichi got up, dusting his clothes off. He lent a hand out towards Peko, who accepted the hand. Kazuichi glanced down, trying not to make eye contact with Peko. The tension in the air was awkward. Kazuichi could feel Peko's stare on him, and he shook in fear. He nervously looked back up at Peko. Peko was a little surprised but had a serious face.
"It is alright... You weren't aware of your surroundings. While you're here, may I ask if you have seen my yo- I mean, Fuyuhiko?" Peko asked, hands clasped together. Kazuichi shrugged, not knowing where Fuyuhiko was. He actually hadn't seen Fuyuhiko in a while.
"Beats me. He's probably somewhere else." Kazuichi said. Peko only nodded and walked away. Huh... She's pretty weird. Kazuichi thought to himself. He walked back to the beach, seeing pretty much everyone there. Mahiru, Hiyoko, Mikan, and Ibuki were talking to Nekomaru and Byakuya, most likely talking about a performance at the end of the party. Peko and Fuyuhiko were together, like always. Teruteru and Akane were talking, and he could see Akane slap Teruteru with an angry look on his face. Gundham and Sonia were talking together. Ugh. And...Nagito was.. talking to Chiaki? Why were they talking to each other? That's an unusual pair...
"What the- Oh, is the scavenger hunt over?" Kazuichi asked.
"Yep! The scavenger hunt is officially over! Now come on, are you ready for the swimming race?" Nekomaru boasted, making Kazuichi and everyone else cover their ears. Ugh, was he loud. As the party continued, Kazuichi had fun and acted like normal, but he still had this uneasy feeling inside him. Seeing Hajime's dying face, his body, how he orchestrated everything, how he tricked everybody... It made Kazuichi feel guilty. And he was, in a way. He could only hope that he wasn't caught. He sat down to eat some food, and he noticed that the band looked devastated, trying to look for their instruments. He saw them spread out and leave. They would most likely be the ones that would find the body.
And they did. He saw Ibuki running back, signalling for the group to follow her. None of them really got it, but the people there followed Ibuki nonetheless and walked to the airport. As they slammed open the door, Kazuichi noticed the band there, standing at the back. They must've gone together, and found Hajime's body together. As they ran to the back, everyone saw Hajime's hanging body. As some music played, Kazuichi noticed everyone's expressions, ranging from shocked to completely devastated.
"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, the class trial will begin!" They could hear over the speakers. Oh, so now they have to investigate. Everyone started to spread out, trying to look for clues. Kazuichi saw Monokuma pop up in front of him, and screamed. "Hey! You can't start investigating without a Monokuma File!" Kazuichi had no idea what a 'Monokuma File' was, but he took it and read it out for everyone to hear.
"Monokuma File: 1
Cause of Death
The victim is Hajime Hinata.
The body was discovered inside Jabberwock Airport.
The estimated time of death is unknown.
The cause of death seems to be a crushed windpipe. There are eight external injuries: A wound caused by blunt head trauma, a bruise on the face, and four rope burn bruise marks on the arms and legs. Other than that, there seem to be no chemicals involved such as poison."
As Kazuichi read it out, he noticed everyone's expressions, mostly shock and worry. He also felt that way too, but he didn't want to cause too much panic, so he tried to calm everyone down. "Guys, we have to investigate, for Hajime's sake." He said, giving a sad smile to everyone. As everyone else investigated Kazuichi pretended to investigate but was, in reality, walking around aimlessly. He noticed most people crowding around Hajime's body, except for a few people searching the place.
Soon, it was time for the class trial. Kazuichi didn't think that the time would pass by so fast, but as he was standing in the elevator he thought to himself. I have to get out of here!
6:30 pm, Monokuma Rock
The elevator opened, signifying its arrival. He stumbled out of the elevator and walked into the class trial room. He noticed how there were 16 podiums, all empty except one, which had Hajime's picture with an 'X' crossed out on his face. Kazuichi felt a little disturbed by it but tried to ignore it and walked to one of the empty podiums, standing there. Monokuma popped up out of the blue and started explaining the class trial rules. When Monokuma announced that the class trial had officially started, the room turned silent. No one knew what to say.
Until Chiaki spoke up. "Hey... We should start with the murder weapon. What was used to kill Hajime?" Chiaki asked. As she said that, some new music started playing. It sounded like some sort of debate music. As she stayed silent, she noticed everyone talking, nonstop. This seemed to be a nonstop debate over the murder weapon.
"Kill? Hajime's hanged, it's obvious he committed suicide!" Hiyoko retorted.
"But... Hajime has other injuries, right? Maybe there was a struggle between Hajime and the killer, and the killer ended up getting the upper hand." Byakuya countered.
"What? How do you know? Are you the killer?" Hiyoko asked, folding her arms together and staring at Byakuya.
"..It was obvious. There's no way that Hajime hurt himself like that and then committed suicide. Since there were rope burn marks, we can assume that his hands were tied. Also, the file states that there were rope burns on his legs, so they must've been tied, too. How would he have gotten out of the ropes that were tied to his hands and legs?" Byakuya answered, pushing up his glasses.
"So then...That most likely means that the main murder weapon used was the rope!" Sonia declared.
"What do you mean by 'main'? Are you saying that there was a second murder weapon or something?" Akane asked.
"Hajime has a head injury. He could've died from the trauma or blood loss, and then the killer would've used the rope to pretend that he died from the rope." Sonia answered.
Chiaki remembered what was on the Monokuma file. It stated that the cause of death was a crushed windpipe. The only way that could have happened was by using the rope, and thus she countered the statement. "No, that's wrong! The Monokuma file stated that Hajime died from a crushed windpipe. Not trauma or blood loss. That also means we can pretty much say that the rope was used to kill Hajime..."
"Not necessarily," Gundham interjected. "we can't just rule that the rope was used to kill Hajime. Think about it for one second... When I investigated, I found that the rope had knots in it. As Byakuya said, Hajime's hands must've been tied together, as well as his legs. It should already be proven that the rope used to tie Hajime up was also the same one used to hang him."
"Hmm, that's true... Also, why would the killer tie Hajime up with the rope and then kill him with that same rope? There'd be no point in tying him up in the first place and then untying the rope to kill him." Mahiru stated.
"If that's what happened... Maybe the killer used two separate ropes to tie him up and kill him!" Ibuki blurted out.
"That doesn't explain the knots on the rope that he was hanged with. If the killer really used two separate ropes, then why were there knots on the rope?" Gundham answered.
"Oh, uh... Never mind then. Forget what Ibuki said!" Ibuki yammered.
"Anyways, about what Mahiru said... I think that the killer probably tied up Hajime and killed him, then hanged him to make it seem like he killed himself, like what Sonia said... kind of." Nagito responded.
"Really? How'd you deduce that?" Ibuki asked.
"Well, other than the rope burn marks, there were two other injuries. A wound caused by blunt force trauma, and a bruise on his cheek. Perhaps the killer snuck behind him or something and hit him with something, then while he was still comprehending what happened, the killer tied him up?" Nagito added.
"That does sound accurate... But what could he have been hit with?" Teruteru asked. "Perhaps, it could've been that screwdriver we saw below his feet?"
"I don't think a screwdriver could cause something like that," Byakuya noted.
"Um... I inspected Hajime's wounds, and... I could determine that he was hit with something hard and metal. There seems to be a dent on his head from whatever he got hit with." Mikan announced.
"I saw a bloody hammer in the toolbox. That must've been what was used to hit Hajime." Fuyuhiko said.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too," Akane said. "So I guess we can confirm he didn't die from suicide, but instead someone else?"
"Yes, we most certainly can. For one, there is no chair that Hajime could've stood on to hang himself. The only other reason his windpipe would've been crushed is that someone choked him. So I guess we can conclude that he died because someone choked him out... And two... I saw Hajime walking with someone, but I couldn't see their face... They must've been the one who brought Hajime to the airport." Nagito said.
"Really? What time did you see them go?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"It was around... 3:00 pm. So... before the party." Nagito said.
"Ah, so maybe... the killer tied him up before the party, and killed him during the party, then?" Fuyuhiko thought.
"Hmm... I do remember everyone being together during the beach volleyball and the swimming race. Really, the only time Hajime could have been killed was when the treasure hunt activity was happening." Byakuya added.
"Yep. I determined that the time of death was 3:27 pm." Mikan affirmed.
"Great! We know the time of death... But why the airport of all places?" Fuyuhiko wondered.
"That's something we still have to figure out... We also need to figure out why that airplane wing was open and why the screwdriver was there concerning the airplane wing." Byakuya muttered.
"Maybe... Maybe the killer brought him there to work on it with the screwdriver or something, and then he tied him up and hit him." Nagito suggested.
"Isn't Kazuichi the Ultimate Mechanic or something? He could've done it himself." Hiyoko replied.
"True. Then... He must've been brought there for some different reason." Fuyuhiko said.
"No, that can't be true. That's really the only reason why that thing could have been opened in the first place. The killer must've brought him there to distract him with that, and then..." Gundham quipped. Silence emitted across the trial room until someone spoke up.
"Hey, wait a second. Nagito... How do you even know about any of this? How could you deduce that the knots on the rope were used to tie him, heck how would you even know that Hajime was tied and hit because he was distracted from working on that airplane wing with the screwdriver on the wires? Isn't that a bit suspicious?" Kazuichi objected. "He's definitely the killer, then."
"I..." Nagito paused, not knowing what he should say.
"I know it might seem like he's the killer because he knows things we don't, but let's not come to conclusions so quickly." Peko asserted.
"Oh." That's all Akane said. Then, she added to her sentence. "Okay, then. Let's talk about it right now! Since we already got what he really died from and when he died, let's talk about alibis? Where were everyone at the time and stuff?" As soon as Akane said that, everyone started talking. Voices over other voices, confusion, and accusations with pointed fingers followed. It was chaos in the court until a voice overpowered the others.
"Guys! Please stop! We won't be able to solve anything like this. Let's take this slowly." Sonia announced. Everyone shut their mouths one by one and allowed Sonia to continue. "So, let's start. Let's listen to everyone's alibis and see if they contradict with anything." Sonia said, giving a warm-hearted smile to everyone. "Ibuki, and the rest of the group who was supposed to be a 'band' together, where were you guys during the party?"
"Well..." Mikan started but was interrupted by Hiyoko.
"Shut up! No one wants to hear your opinion!" Hiyoko shrieked at Mikan, who trembled in fear.
"Hiyoko, that's rude. Please reconsider what you said to her and apologize." Chiaki said. Hiyoko groaned but decided to apologize anyways.
"Fine... Sorry, Mikan. Anyways, we were at the party the whole time, and we did all those activities that Nekomaru and Byakuya asked us to, but when it was our turn to perform, we couldn't find our instruments! We were looking all over for our instruments, and I found mine in a bush! It was like someone just threw it and left it there for no reason at all! Ugh, and it took so long to find it, too..." Hiyoko stated.
"Yep! When Ibuki went to find her instrument, she found it in the airport, randomly thrown there. Luckily it wasn't damaged or anything, but then Hajime's body was hanging close to there. Freaky..." Ibuki said, shuddering at the thought of Hajime's body.
"..Randomly thrown there? What do you mean by that, Ibuki?" Chiaki asked.
"It was just on the ground, not hidden at all or anything..." Ibuki responded.
"If Ibuki and the rest of the group's instruments were just thrown randomly like that, it could be possible that the killer did that to mess up their alibis," Chiaki noted. "And since Ibuki found Hajime's body once they started, that means that they couldn't have killed Hajime, right?"
"What do you mean? Why are you clearing them just like that?" Kazuichi said.
"Well, I mean... They were together the whole time during the party, right? All of them can back each other up. The only time they saw Hajime was when the body was discovered. Also, the only time Hajime could've died was during the treasure hunt, as said earlier. Because of that, we can conclude that when they lost their instruments and tried to find them, they couldn't have killed Hajime at that time." Chiaki said. "To add, even if one of them tried to kill Hajime, they couldn't have, because they were basically together at all times. So I hope that proves it to you." Chiaki smiled.
"But... wouldn't they have seen the body? Since the wing was actually an airplane wing, and Hajime was hanged there... Wouldn't they have seen it?" Kazuichi wondered.
"Well, I mean... The killer could have hanged up the body after everyone finished the treasure hunt. That would be why nobody saw his body during the treasure hunt." Chiaki rebutted.
"..Alright. Anyways, does anyone else want to say their alibis?" Sonia asked. People started to speak up, and one by one they spoke their alibis. After most people had finished, Sonia interrupted everyone.
"Hmm, it seems to be that most people were with other people. I guess we could clear them out because of that. The only people who had a chance of murdering Hajime were people who were by themselves." Sonia said.
"Wait, how are you just going to clear them like that? What if two people or more worked together to kill Hajime? Or what if one person used the other person as their alibi?" Kazuichi objected.
"Oh. Well, Monokuma did say that only the true blackened would graduate. The accomplice would get nothing out of it, so I don't see any reason as to why someone would agree to work with someone else. As for the other statement, that other person would've found it suspicious that the other person kept on leaving to do something. During the treasure hunt, the groups would stay together and help each other. There's no reason as to why one person would have to suddenly leave or split up unless they wanted to cover more ground in a matter of time. But even then, I don't think most people would want to split up in fear of getting murdered." Sonia said.
"Hmm, alright... Then, who are the people who were by themselves at the time?" Hiyoko asked.
"Teruteru, Chiaki, Nagito, and Kazuichi." Sonia said. "Would you guys say your alibis, please?"
"I'll start. I noticed that Hajime wasn't at the party, so I wanted to look for him. Kazuichi was kind of adamant about me not leaving the party, but I still left anyways, and he even gave me a tip on where Hajime would be. I looked everywhere, and then I found Hajime, tied up with rope and stuff. I said I would bring Mikan to help him since he looked sick, so I ran and left the airport. Once I found Mikan, we came back inside, but Hajime's body was nowhere to be found. Kazuichi and Nagito were there, though, and after finding out that one of the items on the list was there, I checked it off and left. I stayed at the party for the rest of the time." Chiaki said.
"Seems pretty solid. I, Byakuya, and Kazuichi did see Chiaki running out of the airport. Then Kazuichi went to chase after her." Nekomaru said.
"Y-Yep... Chiaki asked me to go to the airport because she saw Hajime, but when we went back there, Hajime wasn't there! We did see Kazuichi and Nagito there, though." Mikan added.
"Kazuichi? Nagito? Why were you two there, at the airport?" Hiyoko asked.
"We were... obviously working together on the treasure hunt!" Kazuichi declared.
"But I didn't see you go off with him, though..."
"Ah, we just happened to meet up at the airport. I gave Nagito the answer as to what the "wing" on the treasure hunt really was." Kazuichi responded.
"How did you know about it?"
"Because I was the one who made it up. Byakuya and Nekomaru told me they needed one more item on the list, so I said that." Kazuichi said.
"But... Why a wing, though? Maybe... You were thinking of that wing with the open panel?" Nagito commented.
"H-Huh? Where'd you get that assumption from?" Kazuichi stuttered.
"..Nowhere in particular. Anyways, I'm going to say my alibi now too, alright?" Nagito said.
"So... during the treasure hunt, I was just doing what everyone else was doing. Finding items and the like. I pretty much looked everywhere, in every place, nook, and cranny... That's all." Nagito replied.
"That's true. Our group pretty much saw him everywhere, and then we started to make fun of him. Haha!" Hiyoko remarked.
"Yep. I heard everything you guys said. Ahaha." Nagito mumbled.
"Hmm, I and Fuyuhiko also saw him," Peko added.
"Alright, then I guess we can confirm that Nagito wasn't the one that murdered Hajime, right?" Sonia asked.
"Yeah! We also saw Teruteru, and he was, like, chasing us around and stuff!" Ibuki yammered.
"Yeah. He was chasing us around the whole time. What a freak." Hiyoko stated.
"Then... Teruteru is also free from being a suspect?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"Yeah, I guess... and that leaves... Kazuichi." Sonia said.
"Hey, Kazuichi... I just remembered a question I forgot to ask. Why were you so adamant about not letting Chiaki leave? Perhaps... You didn't want her to see something?" Nagito asked.
"What? I just didn't want her to go off by herself... Y'know, because I didn't want anyone murdering her. Anyone could've gotten murdered during the party. I went and followed her anyways, and then saw Byakuya and Nekomaru. Plus, I was doing the activities the whole time." Kazuichi said. "A-Anyways... I'm just going to say my alibi, alright?"
"Okay, go right ahead," Sonia said.
"It's nothing special, really. I did the treasure hunt like everyone else, then went back and stayed at the party for the rest of the time." Kazuichi said. "I did take too long though, and I missed the beach volleyball because of that."
"But... I don't think any of us saw you during the treasure hunt. Other than Chiaki, Mikan, and Nagito seeing you at the airport, that was all. And actually, now that I think about it, they must've come at different times, right? All three of them were in different groups and the like. If that's true, then that means that you were at the airport the whole time. And if you were at the airport the whole time, then..." Mahiru observed.
"I- I- I wasn't at the airport the whole time! I was only there during the treasure hunt!" Kazuichi objected.
"That's just not true. When I saw Hajime, he had your hat beside him. When I picked it up, it seemed kind of wet like someone's spit was on it. You must've shoved that in Hajime's mouth to prevent him from screaming when he woke up, right?" Chiaki remarked.
"T-That's no actual proof that I put my hat in his.. mouth!" Kazuichi said.
"Oh, yeah... I do remember seeing Kazuichi without his hat. He was asking me if I could go to the party." Fuyuhiko stated.
"Yep! I saw Kazuichi without his hat too! He was actually the one who suggested doing the party! I thought it was great, so I made the party with some others while he went to invite everyone!" Ibuki rejoiced.
"Ah, so Kazuichi was the one who planned this party..." Byakuya noted. "He must've planned this whole murder from the start."
"..Hey, Kazuichi. Now that I think about it, you were being so quiet at the start, when we were going over everything that happened to Hajime, but once we figured out that the killer intentionally made the alibis of everyone confusing, you started speaking up? Is there something wrong with ya'?" Akane asked, glaring at Kazuichi.
"Wh-Wh-What?! What do you mean? I was just making sure that... whatever you guys were saying was right!" Kazuichi stammered.
"It does seem suspicious," Peko added. "Also, you've been accusing Nagito this whole time, even though we've already concluded that he can't be the culprit. What do you say to that, hmm?"
Kazuichi didn't know what to say. He stayed silent, whispering to try and hint to Nagito that he should say something to cover him. Everyone noticed, and stared at the two of them.
"Oh, Kazuichi." Nagito sighed. "And this whole time, I was really thinking that your hope would outshine the others."
"What the fuck is this weirdo going on about?!" Hiyoko screeched.
"Aha... Ahah... Kazuichi. I thought that your hope to escape would really shine, but... In this trial, I found out that everyone's hope is stronger. To find the killer... To avenge Hajime... It's so strong! And unfortunately... I can't help you anymore. Sorry..." Nagito blurted out.
"Nagito... Were you working with Kazuichi all along?" Byakuya asked.
"Yes, I was. I helped the killer to hang Hajime onto that airplane wing. And that's all." Nagito said.
"You... Hajime was your friend! How could you do something like that to him?" Mahiru objected.
"..Friend? That's..." Nagito clenched his fists together, his eyes staring down at the floor. "..."
"And you too, Kazuichi! Weren't you two best friends?" Mahiru said. "You both should be ashamed of yourselves!"
"W-W-Wait a second! Why are you guys believing Nagito? Why him, of all people?" Kazuichi interjected.
"Because if what he's saying is true, then... Everything would add up, right?" Chiaki said.
"Oh, I know what you mean! I'll just explain it to the people who are too stupid to understand." Hiyoko stated. "Basically, Hajime must've asked Kazuichi to help find his talent, because they're best friends and all. So Kazuichi brought Hajime there because I guess that's the first place he thought of. Also, Kazuichi must've been thinking that the airport was a place where no one would go to because there was no point really. Then, Kazuichi made Hajime do some work on the wing, and while he was distracted, Kazuichi hit him, knocked him out, and tied him up, I guess? Then, the party started and when Kazuichi had the chance, he just went to the airport and killed Hajime, and then hanged him to make it seem like he committed suicide."
"Wait, h-hold on! How can you even say that I brought him there and distracted him?" Kazuichi insisted. "Also, even if he was distracted, how could I have hit him from behind? It just wouldn't make sense."
"Y-You mentioned it earlier. When you were accusing Nagito, you asked him how he knew that the killer distracted him with the panel using the screwdriver on the wires. You couldn't have known that, though. None of us knew that he was even using the screwdriver on the wires." Mikan remarked.
"Also, Hajime could've turned his head around, and you struck then... It's not that hard to think about it. Maybe you were being too quiet, and Hajime turned back to talk to you or ask a question. Then, you struck him." Mahiru observed.
"Kazuichi, come on... We already figured out everything. There's no point in denying it..." Chiaki reasoned.
"H-Hey, I-I'm not the killer!... I would never kill my friend!" Kazuichi insisted. "I'm serious!"
"Upupupu... Are you guys ready to vote?" Monokuma asked, ignoring Kazuichi.
"Sure. I guess." Akane muttered.
As everyone stood at their podiums, they got the chance to vote. Everyone pretty much voted for Kazuichi, except Kazuichi himself. He was still denying it and was too busy doing that to vote.
"Alright, the votes tallied up, and... Kazuichi has the most votes at 14 votes!" Monokuma declared. "Oh. Kazuichi didn't vote. Whatever, He was going to die either way. Yes, everyone is correct. Kazuichi is the blackened of this case! And as a result of that, he will be executed!"
"No! Please, don't..." Kazuichi screamed, sobbing.
"Let's give it everything we've got! It's punishment time!" Monokuma screamed, slamming the hammer on the button. The big TV screen that had suddenly popped up showed Monokuma dragging Kazuichi, with the words "Kazuichi has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!"
Diffuse or Die?
Kazuichi heard the sound of metal chains, and before he could look back a metal collar clasped around his neck, pulling him up into the sky. He was dragged up, seeing the faces of everyone staring up at him. Staring at him in disgust and shock. He was suddenly pulled away from the trial room and dragged high up in the sky. He felt the strong wind hit his face, and he gritted his teeth in pain as he closed his eyes. Then, he was suddenly dropped, making Kazuichi open his eyes and look down. He landed on the ground with a hard thud, hitting his back straight on. All he could hear was some weird music that Kazuichi was sure Monokuma played on a school-like speaker. As he groaned, he pulled himself up, looking around.
There was a table in front of him. It had a rectangular prism-shaped box with a ticking timer, his toolbox, and a piece of folded paper on the table. Kazuichi stretched his hand out to pick up the paper. He unfolded the paper, reading what was on it. There were instructions on the paper, and he read what was on the paper. "Upupupu! This bomb is broken, so please inspect and fix it. It will explode soon if you don't fix it, so try your best!" It said, and Kazuichi sighed as he dropped the paper and looked at the bomb. The timer ticked, reading 5 minutes. Kazuichi was kind of freaked out, as he had never worked on a bomb before, but he could try, at least...
He looked in the toolbox, which he thought was full when he was sitting far, but upon looking at the toolbox up close he found out that the tools were actually made of cardboard and the only real tool he could use was a screwdriver. The same screwdriver that he had given to Hajime, in his hands... He gripped it hard in his palms and went to work. He flipped the bomb over and found its panel, putting the screwdriver in the screw holes and unscrewing them. The screws dropped to the ground, and he put his screwdriver down, opening the panel while feeling an uneasy nervousness.
There were tons of very thin wires, slightly tangled and twisted together. Kazuichi was absolutely baffled. What could he do? How was he going to fix this? As he stared at the bomb, he heard a crackling sound, and he looked up. Monokuma's voice could be heard from the speaker. "You have to cut the right wire to fix this bomb and stop it from exploding!" Kazuichi sighed, picking up the screwdriver once again. It didn't really make sense to him. How would cutting wires fix a bomb?
He looked at the wires, all the same colour from what he could tell, and picked a random wire. He pressed the metal tip of the screwdriver against the wire and started to dig the tip into the wire. Soon, the screwdriver cut the wire and it broke in two, hanging there. There wasn't any metal inside, which made Kazuichi wonder if they were actually real wires. Kazuichi was confused as to why nothing was happening, but then a knife flew in his direction, hitting him dead on in the cheek. He screamed in surprise and fear, his hand flying to his cheek. "Hey! Wha- The hell was that for?!"
'Oops... Did I forget to mention that every time you cut the wrong wire, you get hurt? Oh, and don't be hasty with it either, because the punishments only get worse! Although... There may be a delay because apparently, the punishments aren't working properly. Ah, if only I had the ultimate mechanic to help fix these punishments... Ahahahahaha!" Monokuma's voice boomed on the speaker. Kazuichi stared in disbelief, feeling himself shake at the thought of pain. He aimlessly stared down at the bomb, the time ticking 3 minutes.
He held the screwdriver and picked a wire which seemed like the right one. He cut the wire, and for a few seconds, nothing happened. He looked around, seeing nothing. He then heard a booming sound behind him, and he instantly cowered and covered his ears while turning his head behind. Multiple scissors were being launched from the wall towards him, and he screamed as the scissors stabbed into his back. A pair of scissors flew past his shoulder and towards the bomb, cutting some of the wires.
As he tried to recover from the pain, he noticed that more wires were cut. His eyes flew wide, and he immediately had the idea to hide under the table. He rolled his body under the table, smirking. He had outsmarted Monokuma. He could only hope that this table was strong enough to withstand whatever was coming.
And it did, sort of. As the punishments started flying out of the walls, they usually just hit what was opposite of them, not harming Kazuichi. He sighed in relief, but what he didn't notice was spikes coming out of the floor. They started to pierce Kazuichi, but Kazuichi didn't notice until the spikes started piercing to his bone. He screamed in agony as he frantically tried to get off the spikes, getting out from under the table. He was immediately hit by everything that was flying, and he fell backward, his back hitting the floor. He stared up at the ceiling to see...
"Hey, Kazuichi... I'm going to make it easy for you. Which wire will you cut?" There, standing in front of Kazuichi, was Hajime. He held out the bomb Kazuichi had been working on the whole time, with only two wires now. They were green and pink, intertwined together. "Don't these wires remind us of our friendship, Kazuichi?"
Kazuichi glared up at Hajime, tears forming in his eyes. He didn't care about asking why he was here. He was just happy that he was here, so he could apologize to him. "Hajime, I'm sorry."
Hajime didn't respond, staring at him blankly. The tears started streaming down Kazuichi's face, and he was too busy focusing on the pain to even try. He didn't... He couldn't care anymore about the bomb. All he wanted to do was live. He was scared of dying.
"I guess you're too emotionally unstable to do this, huh? Guess I'll do it myself, alright? Let's say that these wires represent our friendship." Hajime cheered, grabbing the screwdriver in Kazuichi's hand. He started by making cuts on the green wire, but not enough to fully cut them. All this time, you thought it was me who was ruining our friendship." Hajime spoke. He then makes huge slashes to the pink wire, almost breaking it. "But you were the one that was ruining our friendship. By being annoying, and clingy... and then killing me, you've completely ruined our friendship. I won't ever forgive you, Kaz..." He said, finally making one last slash to the pink wire, breaking it. "I hate you, Kazuichi. I hope you rot in hell." Hajime repeated Kazuichi's words, glaring at him.
Kazuichi wanted to tell him something, anything, but his vision was getting darker, and the blood that poured out of his dying body didn't help him. He felt weak, and all he could hear by now was the bomb exploding, hurting Kazuichi and the room greatly. The room started crumbling, and the ceiling and walls started breaking into pieces, falling onto the ground. Most of them gravitated in his direction and fell on him. He felt every part of his body being crushed, and when he stared up at the sky, a piece of the ceiling was falling towards him.
Except it wasn't because of the ceiling above him. It was because Hajime had picked up a big ceiling piece, and dropped it on him. The ceiling piece fell directly on his face, crushing his skull and killing him immediately.
in my earlier drafts, there was literally a section where kazuichi sexually assaults hajime, but i cut it out because it just wasn't like kazuichi. :|