A/N: Alright, here's Chapter Seven of Execution Failed, as commissioned by StealthPhotographer. Please read and review, and enjoy!
Despair Arc: Execution Failed!
Chapter Seven: Tell the Truth, Mukuro!
"Junko Enoshima?!"
"Indeed." Kyoko confirmed to her father. "According to Chiaki Nanami's account, Enoshima attempted to execute her, and she suspects that she managed to brainwash Tsumiki and Yukizome. Given how Ikusaba attacked us as we came back from our investigation of the hideout, I think it's safe to say that she's the Mastermind behind the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy."
Jin sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingers as he tried to digest his daughter's deductions.
"All this time…she's been plotting to destroy Hope's Peak Academy from the inside. Damn, if only I could have stopped her from entering Hope's Peak at all, this wouldn't be happening…"
Kyoko raised her eyebrows in surprise as she inquired "What do you mean? I thought it was Kizakura's job to scout the students for each class."
Jin nodded grimly and confirmed "For the most part, yes, though there are exceptions. For the 78th Class, there were two. The first is the Ultimate Lucky Student that gets chosen every year by a random lottery. For this year, that was Makoto Naegi."
"…And the second?"
Jin sighed and revealed "Junko Enoshima. Koichi Kizakura and I actually had zero input on her admission. The Steering Committee insisted that she be invited to enroll. Of course, I had reservations about allowing a student in without any input from myself or Koichi, but I had already used up my political capital persuading them to agree to keep having Ultimate Lucky Students. If I had gone against them, then they would have likely replaced me with a yes man."
"I see…" Kyoko muttered. "So, what do you plan to do about Enoshima?"
"Well…I think even the Steering Committee would agree that Junko Enoshima has no place in Hope's Peak Academy, especially given the chaos she and Ikusaba have brought to this institution."
"And if they still decide to give her a pass?" Kyoko questioned.
Jin narrowed his eyes and stated with zero levity "Then I will go against them and expel both her and Ikusaba for their roles in the Tragedy. Even if it gets me fired, I need to do my due diligence to protect my students from any threats to their lives."
"I see…well, that's a start, at least. Thankfully, we have Ikusaba restrained, thanks to Ogami. So, we just have to track down…hm?"
Kyoko felt a vibration in her jacket and dug into her pocket before she pulled out her cell phone.
"Yes, Ogami?" Kyoko asked as she answered her phone and held it to her ear.
"Kirigiri-chan, Ikusaba's awakened, though she is still restrained. Makoto's trying to talk to her, but I don't know how much information he'll be able to pry out of her."
"I see…alright, I'll be right there." Kyoko pocketed her phone and informed the headmaster "Ikusaba just regained consciousness; I have to go back to interrogate her."
Jin nodded and replied "I understand, I'll get Hope's Peak Security to round up Enoshima. Just be careful, Kyoko."
Kyoko nodded before she walked out the door, leaving Jin to sigh before he picked up his phone and began to dial.
XXX
Mukuro groaned as her eyes fluttered open, her vision still hazy as she muttered "Where…where am I…?"
"Ah, Mukuro, you're awake!"
"Wha…Ma…Makoto…?" Mukuro muttered as her vision finally cleared to see Makoto walking over to her.
"Exercise caution, Makoto." She heard Sakura warn. "She's still dangerous, even bound."
What…bound…? She looked down and saw the rope restraining her movement and the bruises that covered her limbs. Oh, right…I tried to kill Kirigiri and Fujisaki and Ogami, but Ogami defeated me…I'm sorry, Junko…
"Thanks, Sakura, but I think I'll be okay. I'm just going to try and talk to her, that's all. Can you call Kyoko and let her know Mukuro's awake? She'll probably want to talk to her too."
Great, an interrogation… Mukuro thought with dread as Sakura nodded and pulled out her phone.
While Sakura spoke with Kyoko, Makoto knelt down in front of her and frowned at her bruises.
"I hope Sakura didn't beat you up too bad. Are you okay?"
Mukuro blushed, surprised at how much care was in Makoto's voice even now, before she muttered "I'm fine…there are minor injuries."
Makoto breathed out a sigh of relief before he questioned "Mukuro…why? Why did you try to kill Kyoko, Chihiro, and Sakura? You're my friend, so I can't believe you would do something like this without a reason. So please…"
No…I can't betray Junko, not even for you, Makoto… Mukuro thought as she held firm.
"Mukuro, please, this is crazy! Nanami-senpai almost died, my friends were almost killed by one of their own, and something happened to Class 77!" As Mukuro turned her head away as best she could, Makoto sighed and pleaded "Please, Mukuro. Kyoko's on her way to question you too, and I promise, her interrogation will be much less pleasant than me asking you nicely. So please, talk to me!"
Makoto…even if it's you…I have to protect…
"You're not protecting Junko by staying silent!" Mukuro's eyes widened as she turned her head to stare directly into Makoto's eyes before he continued "Kyoko already knows that she's involved in this, that she's the Mastermind. One way or another, Junko's gonna go to jail for a long time for what she's done. But you don't have to follow her into hell!"
Not…follow…Junko…?
Makoto sighed and held her hand as he continued "I know that going against your family sounds scary. I can't imagine what I'd do if my own sister was responsible for a tragedy like the one we're in. I'm sure I'd be just as conflicted as you are. But…we can't let family stop us from doing the right thing."
The…right thing…?
"Mukuro, you will have to face punishment for whatever you did to help Junko. I can't sugarcoat that. But…you can choose to redeem yourself, and maybe you can be shown leniency in light of good behavior! So please, Mukuro, tell us the truth."
Makoto… At last, her stubbornness shattered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she surrendered "Okay…I'll tell you…"
"Looks like I arrived just in time." Everyone turned their heads to see Kyoko walk in, an impressed smile on her face as she congratulated "Good work, Makoto." She then frowned as she walked next to him and demanded "Now, Ikusaba, the truth. All of it."
Mukuro sighed and began to talk.
XXX
Juzo Sakakura, beaten and bruised from his prior encounter with Junko Enoshima, looked away anxiously from Kyosuke as the two walked through the grounds of Hope's Peak Academy.
"So, Headmaster Kirigiri's daughter has proven my suspicions about Enoshima to be correct. Although…" Kyosuke turned his head and asked "I am curious as to why you told me just before the headmaster called you that she was innocent. What did you base your conclusion on?"
"Oh, that? Um…" Juzo muttered, his cheeks tinged red with shame as he recalled just how easily he succumbed to Junko's blackmail.
Kyosuke narrowed his eyes as he asked "Juzo, is there something you're not telling me?"
Juzo flinched, a rarity for the security guard, but it confirmed Kyosuke's suspicions.
Kyosuke placed a hand on Juzo's shoulder and gave his former classmate a friendly smile. "Juzo, my old friend, whatever happened, you can tell me. I promise I won't think any less of you for it…Juzo?"
Kyosuke was caught off guard as Sakakura's shoulders heaved and tears trickled down his cheeks. The security guard sobbed as he confessed to his old friend.
"Kyosuke…Enoshima…she…I confronted her…but then she found out about one of my deepest secrets…something I've kept even from you! And she told me…if I didn't tell you she was innocent…she would have let it…get out…"
A silence passed between them, Kyosuke processing this new revelation as Juzo continued to cry. At last, Juzo's cries fell silent, and he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"…I see…so Enoshima's talent for manipulation extends even that far…I can see now how she managed to pull off a tragedy of this magnitude." To Juzo's surprise, Kyosuke smiled at his friend and told him "We can talk about that later, if you wish. For now, though, let's focus on bringing Enoshima down together. Just like old times."
Juzo let out a laugh and weakly punched Kyosuke's shoulder, causing the former Student Council President to rub it and smile jokingly at his comrade. With that, the two old friends continued to walk through the grounds, a new hope sparked in Juzo's eyes.
Watch out, Enoshima! You may have gotten the drop on me last time, but this time I'm not afraid of you, now while I have Kyosuke backing me up!
XXX
Class 77, led by Chisa Yukizome, came to a stop in front of the main campus building before the teacher announced "Well, here we are. Just a little bit longer and we'll be at the Nurse's Office. Then we can pay our Class Representative a visit while she recovers."
As her class cheered, Nagito wondered "Oh, I wonder, will seeing her alive grant us hope, or will Enoshima's influence still cause us to fall into despair?"
"Hmm…that is certainly something yet unknown even to the All-Seeing Eye." Gundham mused. "Whatever happens, it too will be the will of causality."
"Hey, while we're here…" Fuyuhiko suggested "Wouldn't it be a good idea to capture the headmaster? You know, so Enoshima can fuckin' execute him?"
"I agree." Peko nodded as she reasoned "It would help Enoshima's plans if he were detained while we had the opportunity to act."
"Now, now." Chisa smiled as she replied "While I always encourage taking the initiative, the headmaster's execution is something that Enoshima has the final say on. We must not step out of bounds until she gives the command."
As Fuyuhiko cursed under his breath, Chisa directed "Now, let's head to the Nurse's Office, shall we?"
With that, the class breached the halls of the main campus building. As they entered, they were unaware of the mysterious black-haired Ultimate watching from a nearby rooftop before he leapt down to make his move.
XXX
"Whoa!" Makoto's eyes widened as he took in Mukuro's account. "You gave Yukizome-sensei a lobotomy? And you and Junko used Nanami-senpai's death to brainwash her class into despair?"
Mukuro nodded and confirmed "Yes…of course, we couldn't do all of this ourselves, so we enlisted the help of two specific individuals. The first was Class 77's Ultimate Animator, Ryota Mitarai. He's capable of making animations that can hypnotize its viewers."
"I see, so that's how you managed to brainwash Class 77." Kyoko realized. "Of course, knowing Junko, I'm almost positive she coerced him."
"Yes, we did, and he was horrified by what we made him do, but the other individual cooperated with us willingly."
"That must be the intruder that broke into the Nurse's Office during the investigation." Kyoko deduced.
Mukuro's brow furrowed in curiosity, but she pushed the thought away as she explained "He goes by the name Izuru Kamukura, but he used to be a Reserve Course Student named Hajime Hinata…"
"Hajime?!" Chiaki exclaimed as she weakly tried to swing her legs over the bed.
"Nanami-senpai!" Makoto called as he ran over to her. "You need to rest! You…"
"What do you know about Hajime? What did you do to him?!" Chiaki demanded as Makoto eased her back into the hospital bed.
"We didn't do anything to him." Mukuro explained "The Steering Committee experimented on him and artificially gave him every talent that Hope's Peak had researched over the years. That wiped away his identity and created what they called the Ultimate Hope, Izuru Kamukura."
As Chiaki finally stopped fighting Makoto and allowed him to get her back into bed, Kyoko replied "I see…well, hopefully that particular piece of information will be useful in ending the Steering Committee's grip on Hope's Peak. But there's still one thing I don't understand. Why did you and Junko do all this in the first place."
"…I did it to help Junko. Everything I did after leaving Fenrir was to help Junko with whatever she wanted. As for why she planned the Tragedy…"
"What?!" Kyoko gasped as the doors to the Nurse's Office burst open, revealing the Ultimate Imposter, Teruteru, Mahiru, Peko, Ibuki, Hiyoko, Mikan, Nekomaru, Gundham, Nagito, Sonia, Akane, Fuyuhiko, and Kazuichi as they breached the room.
Before they could even react, they heard a crashing sound coming from the nearby window. They turned their eyes to see the black-haired Izuru kneeling on the floor before he stood up. Makoto, Kyoko, and Sakura cautiously backed up, surrounding Chiaki's bed in defense of the injured Ultimate.
It was then that Chisa stepped in, emerging from her assembled students and stopping in front of them with a polite smile on her face.
"Hello, we've come to pay Chiaki a visit. Are visiting hours still in effect?"