With a plan in mind, Kaede started striding confidently towards the gym.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Tsumugi was following, but her steps were short, her eyes on the ground.

Was she ruminating on everything she'd told Kaede? Was she scared of what was to come? Or did she still think this wasn't a good idea?

When Kaede had said that she wanted to explain everything to Korekiyo, Tsumugi had looked reluctant about the whole thing, but followed along regardless.

Even if she really did think this was a bad idea, Kaede thought it had potential!

First step: they approached the doors leading into the gym. Rather than just walking through, Kaede took the time to open the door and look around.

According to Tsumugi's notes, while Korekiyo had several different rope traps, they'd all be pretty obvious if you knew they were there. The entire point of them was surprise. There was no rope on the ground, and no nets above the door.

Feeling confident at least in being able to safely step into the gym, Kaede did just that, though Tsumugi didn't follow her.

Second step: Kaede announced her presence. "Hey, Kiyo! I'm here!"

"Ah, Kaede, there you are." His voice was coming from the back of the gymnasium, either behind the podiums or the curtain. "Kehehe~ While I waited for you to arrive, I found a perplexing mystery that I hoped to benefit from your insight on."

Oh, so that was the idea, Kaede thought. In the back of the gym, where no one could see, he had a trap waiting for her, and his bait was some vague comment about a mystery.

Did he really think that would work? Well...Kaede had to admit to herself that if she hadn't gotten Tsumugi's tip-off, it probably would have. Did that make her gullible?

Regardless, it was time for the third step: spill the beans. "Actually, Korekiyo, do you think you could come out here? There's something important we need to discuss."

"Oh~?" There was something musical in his voice that sent a shiver of fear down Kaede's spine. Was he that excited to kill her? "What would that be?"

"The fact that you're planning on murdering me."

"..."

The atmosphere in the gym became as silent as a tomb.

"...'murder' is a legal term, one that requires a high burden of proof to avoid a meritless accusation. Kehehe, such a fascinating cultural foolishness...Do you have any evidence that I intend such a crime?"

It was Tsumugi who answered that question, though she still hadn't stepped into the gym herself.

"You mean aside from the ropes you took from the warehouse?" Her tone straddled the border between boredom and pity, but otherwise it was normal Tsumugi speaking, not the Mastermind. "If you need more evidence, I think the other 94 girls you've killed should make it obvious."

Kaede blinked. Tsumugi had never told her that, in Korekiyo's backstory, he'd killed that many teenage girls. It suddenly made her little confrontation plan feel a little more dangerous.

"Tsumugi, I wasn't aware you were joining us as well. I had asked Kaede for this to be private, but it seems that this afternoon won't be going as I expected at all." He still sounded completely calm.

It was just as unnerving as Tsumugi's own revealed madness, but also quite different.

Tsumugi, when in her Mastermind role, was detached, removed from her emotions; Korekiyo... sounded like he usually did. Just as off-puttingly happy as he always was.

"May I inquire as to where you both found this information?"

Before Tsumugi could answer again, Kaede took over. "Tsumugi is the Mastermind. She knows what you are, what you've done, and revealed herself to me so she could save my life."

Of all possible responses, Kaede was not ready for Korekiyo to let out a long, cackling laugh.

"Kehehehehehehehehehe! That is wonderful, truly splendid~! Faced with the potential death of the object of her desire, even the cruel Mastermind was but a slave to her passions!"

It felt like, if Kaede didn't stop him, he'd keep rambling on about the subject for a while. Thus, she cut him off. "There's more. This is going to be hard to hear, Korekiyo, but we're...we were supposed to be on a show. This was all supposed to be a show. We're fictional characters."

"What a fascinating delusion," Korekiyo purred. "Truly, from a solipsistic point of view, one could imagine that they are the only real-"

"You were supposed to be the serial killer for the season." Tsumugi's voice had gone back to being frigid. She was speaking as the Mastermind. "Every season has one, all because of Genocide Jack back in the original game. Let me tell you though, I'm a huge Danganronpa fan, and you might be the worst serial killer character I've ever seen."

"What."

For the first time since she met him, Kaede heard anger in Korekiyo's voice.

"I mean, you can argue about whether Peko even really counts, but you? 'Oh, my sister-lover is dead, I'm so sad! I know, I'll kill a bunch of girls to keep her company!' Boring. You're so one-note, and your backstory is just stupid. How could you have possibly killed almost a hundred girls at your age? You would have been caught, even if Ultimates were a real thing. I don't like to sound like a nit-picky superfan, but I've seen better character concepts floating around image boards than-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence.

Moving faster than Kaede would have thought the lanky boy was capable of, he emerged from the curtain and darted toward them, hunting knife in hand.

Kaede's heart started to beat faster...when a new voice came from behind her, and someone unfamiliar stepped into the room with them

"Dear brother, please don't do anything rash."

It looked like Tsumugi had been right to be cautious.

She'd guessed that Kaede would want to do something like finding a way to stop Korekiyo, but she hadn't thought her plan would have been this bad.

Tsumugi was fond of the pianist, but sometimes Kaede could be a bit thick.

The best course of action, clearly, would be to just not show up. In a day or two, Korekiyo would get impatient and kill some other girl. Point Shuichi at the mystery, he figures out it was the serial killer, and mob justice takes care of him.

Easy.

But this...this would expose them. It would expose her.

Tsumugi had accepted that risk when she'd told Kaede everything, but that didn't make her exactly eager for the rest of the characters to learn what she really was, what they all were.

As expected, trying to calmly tell Korekiyo the truth had been going nowhere. He wasn't some rational human being they could convince to come out quietly and turn over a new leaf.

He was a fictional character who, even more than the rest of the Danganronpa cast for the season, was made for killing.

So, Tsumugi had taken things into her own hands, since that was what was needed.

High-minded serial killers who thought they were the smartest, most interesting people in the room were pretty easy to rile up. It just took talking down to them.

And when the taunt had the desired effect, and Korekiyo emerged from hiding to try and strike, Tsumugi had already quickly changed into the cosplay she'd prepared that morning.

Kaede gasped, and Tsumugi knew why. When she spoke to Korekiyo, she didn't sound like herself. That level of vocal control, like being able to make this costume or change into it so quickly, all came with the skills stuffed into her head when they made her into the Ultimate Cosplayer.

She was dressed pretty similarly to Korekiyo. Same stupid jumpsuit, arm band, hat, the works. But the big difference was there was no mask over her face, and she looked near-identical to the serial killer she was facing...though her lips were covered in blood red lipstick.

Staring at her, slack jawed, Korekiyo looked even paler than usual. "S-sister? No...no! That's not...this is a trick!"

Stepping closer, Tsumugi continued to play the part. "Do your eyes truly deceive you, brother dear? Look at me. I am returned to this world. Come closer...we've been apart too long."

With uncaring eyes, she watched as he did as he was told. Korekiyo's movements were jerky now, and Tsumugi could see in his eyes how badly he wanted this to be true, even as he couldn't truly accept it.

When he got close enough, Tsumugi swept him into her arms for a hug, feeling nauseous as she did so. Ugh, she'd have to shower later. Maybe with Kaede? That would be nice.

"I'm here, I'm here," she told him, her voice soothing, and she slowly reached over and took the knife from his hand. He didn't react.

Now that he was disarmed, Tsumugi reached up and smashed her fist into the back of his neck, as hard as she could.

Korekiyo gasped, and fell to the floor. Tsumugi dove onto his back, and placed the knife against the back of his throat, pushing it in just enough for blood to start to bead up through his skin.

She felt nothing at all from the violence.

After all, this wasn't a real person.

"Either you are going to calm down, behave yourself, and refrain from more murder attempts, or I'm spilling your blood on the gym floor." Tsumugi's tone made it clear which of the two she'd prefer. "Kaede doesn't want you to die, despite how completely dull you are, so I'm giving you this chance to surrender."

Her voice was her own again, and she felt a tension gathering up in Korekiyo's body, even as Kaede approached them.

For a moment, Tsumugi was scared. What if he tried to fight back? He could take the knife back and kill her. She didn't really have a way to stop it. And with no audience...there'd be no point in her death.

"I yield."

It sounded as though Korekiyo was trying to sound as he usually did, but his acting wasn't as good as it usually was. His voice shook, though whether from fear, anger, or sadness Tsumugi didn't know. And frankly she didn't really care either.

With the knife still at his throat, Tsumugi got off him and let him stand up.

Kaede was looking at her, astonished. Tsumugi's guts twisted. Would this be enough to make her hate Tsumugi?

It must have looked awful, on the outside, how she used Korekiyo's (gross) love for his sister to capture him.

But...Tsumugi saw no sign of that. Kaede's shock turned into a smile. "That was amazing, Tsumugi!" But then she looked embarrassed, and told Korekiyo, "Sorry about the knife! But...we'd definitely prefer it if you didn't kill anyone, especially since your whole motive for killing people isn't true, y'know?"

The nonchalant way Kaede said that made Tsumugi want to laugh, but she was still holding a dangerous man hostage. Laughter later. Survival now.

"So...let's go get everyone else together! It's time they know the truth!"

Tsumugi swallowed. That...was probably going to end badly for her.

Maybe she could talk Kaede into taking her v-card before Maki killed her?