Chapter 5: Dawning of the Dead Part 7 (Deadly Life)
Remaining Citizens: 7
Ai Mizuno (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate (Zombie) Idol
Aoba Kuronuma (Durarara!): Ultimate Manipulator
Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5): Ultimate Track Star
Emma (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Moral Compass
Gold (Pokémon Adventures/Pokémon Special): Ultimate Hatcher
Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse): Ultimate Successor
Yu Ishigami (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Ultimate Pessimist
Ai's POV
CITY TRIAL RESUME
"..."
Aoba remained silent, despite how rowdy Gold and Ryuji were getting. It's just like what happened during Shantae's trial. My fists were clenched, I couldn't believe what we just found out. But that's just it… I don't believe it.
"C'mon, cough it up. Tell us where that damn hamster is!" Ryuji shouts at him once more.
"Well here's the thing..." Aoba began.
"He lied to Bernie." And I finished.
"WHAT?!" Gold let out.
"True… he was just looking to lure her out. If he had to actually capture the hamster then he would have to go into Bernadetta's room."
"That's right, and with the way she's been acting lately, she wouldn't even let anyone in! Much less Aoba." Emma hit the nail on the head.
"Bingo." Aoba nodded once at our claims.
"C'mon man… How can we even be so sure?" Gold asked, frustrated.
"It's because he has nothing to hide, we're just putting it all together. He wants us to figure it all out, all for it to be pointless since he's leaving anyway." Miles stated.
"I guess… although he could just tell us what happened, even if he isn't lying." Ryuji sighed.
"The reason we're still doing this is to see what can be used to prevent him from winning. Loopholes and stuff, you know? Anyways, we wasted a lot of time, we need to talk about how they died." Ishigami has really managed to step up, impressive.
"Right… From what I could tell, there was definitely some kind of struggle on top of the Statue of Zetsubou. It was the place Aoba told Bernie to meet her." I introduced our next topic.
"Hold on, we still haven't figured out how Espio got there. Or if he was there in the first place, instead of just at the bottom of the statue." Miles interrupted.
I thought for a moment before choosing what my answer was, "Hm… I think the most likely scenario was that he saw Bernie heading to the statue in the middle of the night. He followed her out of fear for her life. As for the proof of him being there…"
I whipped out my e-Handbook and showed it to everyone.
Truth Bullet Selected: White Fabric
"This piece of cloth can be directly matched with Espio's white gloves." I pointed at the screen.
"Okay… but why would Espio be out at night in the first place?" Gold asked.
It hit me then that Espio was out there to discuss the mastermind's identity with me. I quickly dash the thought of our meeting being the reason for his death, it was his own decision. I will stay silent on the matter for now.
"Ugh, guess an answer for that won't show up anytime soon. Now let's talk about what happened on the statue." Gold shrugged it off.
Non-Stop Debate
"Okay, so Aoba must have waited there at the top for her…" Emma began to think of the scenario aloud.
"Him and Bernadetta most likely took the same elevator we used during the investigation. The latter arrives, and Aoba makes his move." Ishigami looks over the evidence.
Ryuji is next, "And then, Espio shows up to make the save! Wait… how was he not able to save her, isn't he fast or something?"
Emma then suggested something, "Maybe Aoba restrained him?"
That's it!
"I agree with that!"
CONSENT
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Espio's Stab Wounds
"I do agree that Espio is quite quick, but something must have been done to make sure he can't interfere. Something like… his hand being stabbed!" I told the group.
"Oh right! He has two stab wounds, one in the chest, and one on his right hand!" Emma recalls.
"And that's exactly what caused his glove to rip and leave a piece of fabric. We're really figuring it all out!" Miles grinned.
"You make me sick..."
ARGUE
Aoba glares at us as we turn to him after his response.
"I assume you have a rebuttal?" I asked.
"Not really, I just want to see if you're on the right path. I'm tired of standing here listening to you all, and I thought it would have been fun to watch you squirm. I might as well contribute to make this trial end faster, so tell me, how can a single stab wound hinder Espio?"
Rebuttal Showdown
Time to cut down his words.
"He's the Ultimate Ninja, correct? Then someone like him could just shake off injuries and carry on with their work." He smirks.
"There's a difference between injuries and open wounds, y'know?" I bite back.
"Despite that, you know what wasn't hurting? His legs, which could allow him to run over and take care of me in time. Espio was still capable without his right hand."
There's the opening.
"Cutting-into the contradictions!"
COUNTER
BREAK!
Truth Blade Used: Bloody Railing
"You want that proof? Here it is, his hand was stabbed into the guard railing, leaving him stuck until he can pull out whatever he was stabbed with."
"Hmph." Aoba scoffed.
"Ouch man, that really sounds like it hurts!" Gold cringed.
"Of course it does, getting stabbed isn't exactly fun, y'know?!" Ryuji yelled.
"Really painful image aside, I know just what was used to stab that hand. It also is the most likely weapon to deal the killing blow in his chest too!" Miles whips out his e-Handbook and points.
Truth Bullet Selected: Kunai
"The second time this weapon has been used in a murder…" I shook my head at how we came full circle since the first trial.
"Okay… we've figured out quite a bit of what happened on the top of the statue. But… the question is, how did both of the bodies end up at the bottom in the first place?" Emma ponders.
Non-Stop Debate
"They had to have gotten there somehow..." Emma continues thinking.
Ishigami gets interrupted by Ryuji then, "I got it! Bernadetta ended up falling off and Espio dived after her!"
"Come on, that can't be right. Aoba probably dragged their bodies down the elevator, and cleaned up the blood trail!" Gold confidently smirks.
One of them is right, and I know just who that is.
"I agree!"
CONSENT
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Placement of the Bodies
"Ryuji, you had a good look at how the bodies were placed, right?" I asked.
"Yeah! Espio's holding Bernie, and they're both covered in blood. Wait… did I get it right?!"
I nodded politely at him.
"Hell yeah!" He exclaimed.
"Don't get cocky now, Sakamoto. There's still a lot we need to discuss." Ishigami stated.
"Can't you just let me have this? Freaking killjoy…" Ryuji slouches.
I shook my head, "Anyways, Espio is seen here clutching Bernie closely, and he has a solemn expression on his face. Something that leaves him feeling such sorrow, would be failing to save a friend. Even after breaking free of being stabbed with his own kunai in his hand, he was just too late..."
"Yes yes, very sad. Now then, you're so close to having it all wrapped up. But first, there's somethings left on the table, how did Bernadetta die? And which one of them did I kill?" Aoba puts forward some new questions.
"I'm REALLY doubting that you killed only one of them from the way things are lining up, pal!" Gold grit his teeth at him.
"Keep denying all you want, it's the truth. Nothing can change that." He switched his tone from uncaringly sadistic, to not taking any shit.
How did Bernadetta die? Ishigami and Emma discovered some information that can help us here.
Non-Stop Debate
"A fall from that height only means one thing, you go splat." Ryuji grimaced.
"Don't say it like that!" Emma scolded him.
"S-Sorry! But it's true, no one could fall that high and not end up as a pile of—"
"Please stop, you're going to make me vomit… and I already had to investigate the bodies..." Ishigami covers his mouth as he looks nauseous.
"So… it's decided then? Bernadetta died from the fall? I mean she was covered in all of that blood..." Miles asked.
"Yeah, now let's stop talking about gross stuff, please?" Gold shuddered.
Don't worry guys, I'll change the subject.
"No, that's wrong!"
COUNTER
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Bernadetta's Head Wound
"Bernadetta wasn't killed by the fall itself, I believe Espio actually caught her before she hit the ground." I share what I believe is the case.
"Huh?! What do you mean? She fell off the statue, didn't she?" Ryuji was confused by my statement.
"She was also drenched in blood when we found her, you mean it's not hers?" Miles asked.
"Exactly, she only had one head wound and nothing else on her body." I nodded.
"Yup, you have me to thank for that. That blood's all from Espio's chest." Ishigami raised his hand nonchalantly.
"Then… does that mean it was blunt force trauma to the head? Then what was it that killed her?" Gold questioned.
Emma then gasped, "Hold on, I remembered something!"
"What is it?" I turned to her as she whipped out her handbook, I knew exactly what she was going for.
"It's this!"
Truth Bullet Selected: Blood on Statue
"Bernie did fall and hit something… but it wasn't the ground. It was the statue!" Emma exclaimed.
I visualized the scene in my head, I got instant chills. She was dead before she even hit the ground, as if I couldn't feel more sorry for her….
"And another reason it couldn't be the fall is what you said earlier Ryuji, Espio dived after her. He could have landed on his feet and caught her easily, you can see why he's the Ultimate Ninja in that regard. Yet, it wouldn't have mattered, since she already died." I sighed in frustration.
I then started to think about Espio, how he had been behaving as of late. He believed that he had kept failing us, due to not investigating, as well as preventing many of the murders. The one event that broke him was being informed of Trunks and Killua's duel, and removing Emma and I from the stadium to prevent us from interfering. So… maybe after Aoba tossed Bernadetta off the statue and he couldn't save her…
"Ha ha ha ha, what's the gloomy look there, Ai? Don't tell me, you've come up with something else about what happened, huh? Why don't you look at your evidence first before sharing with the rest of us, eh?" Aoba chuckled.
"Tch… okay Aoba… tell me if I'm right or wrong here. Was the one you killed Bernadetta, and did Espio off himself?"
"A-Another suicide?!" Emma shouted.
"I mean… I wouldn't put it past him, Bernie was so innocent. That's why I tried to give my life up for her." Ryuji looked down, remembering his earlier sacrifice.
"The guy was looking even more depressed than the rest of us, I saw it when we were paired up for The Gauntlet. I just didn't think much of it." Gold looked uncertain there.
"After Sucy, I'm not surprised that the killing game got to him. What I am surprised about is that those of us here haven't lost hope." Ishigami states.
"Hold on… Aoba hasn't answered yet. Really fishy…" Miles senses something's up.
"Spit it out, a simple yes or no." I changed my tone, but he still just stared at me with disdain.
It looks like it's pointless to even ask him, he's really leaving it all for us to solve on our own. What haven't we touched on yet?
...Hold on, there's one possibility. Hearing the others talk about Espio has gotten some gears in my head to begin turning. I… don't want to even think of this happening, but how else can we continue with the trial? I'm sorry everyone.
Failing to save someone is one thing…
Causing their death however… that can put him over the edge.
Non-Stop Debate
"Just say something, Aoba! We don't have all day!" Gold shouted at him.
"..."
"Did Espio kill himself or not?!" Emma pointed as she continued to press him for the truth.
"You sick son of a bitch… if you don't answer now, I'll kick your ass!" Ryuji threatened him.
"..."
"Time's up! Pibu, start charging up!" Pibu hopped onto Gold's shoulder and began charging electricity.
"He did… didn't he?" Emma gripped her fists.
"No, that's wrong."
COUNTER
BREAK!
Truth Bullet Used: Ninja Stars
"What? Ai, what do you mean by 'that's wrong'?" Emma shakily asked.
"..." I didn't want to say it, it just felt painful.
"It makes sense, doesn't it? Bernie was his target, and Espio felt bad that he couldn't save her. That's it… right? Right?! RIGHT?!" Gold repeated himself as I tried to form my words.
"Wait… I can tell something's wrong. You're crying." Miles noticed the tears coming out of both my eyes, which I wiped away quickly.
Ishigami looked at Aoba for a second, and his eyes widened, "You're smiling. That definitely means she discovered something you wanted her to find. Antagonist vibes radiating off of him."
Aoba then turned to me, "He's right. Now say it."
"... Even if Espio's right hand was hurt, he still had his left. His kunai aren't the only weapons he has, you found some more by the boat, right Gold, Ryuji?"
"R-Right." Gold said again.
"If Espio's kunai went missing, he still had another weapon he could rely on, ninja stars. There's also something else that's been bothering me about Bernadetta's corpse."
Truth Bullet Selected: Hole in Hood
"A hole in the hood of her uniform. A scratch on one of the ninja stars."
Emma's eyes got more intense, "Please, it can't—"
"Lo and behold…" Aoba began.
"Espio tossed his stars at Aoba… but Bernadetta's hood got caught instead." I finished.
"He breaks free of the kunai, jumps after her after the ninja star drags her off the statue, and catches her. He discovers she's already gone, and the story ends, with me taking his life with his own weapon. The same one that Kaiba ended Misato with in fact." Aoba explained.
I could hear the others in disbelief. Heads shaking, denial in their mumbling, emotional pain visible on their faces. Gold was crying, Ryuji was pounding his part of the wooden stand with his fist, Ishigami simply looked down, Miles was trying to think of an alternative scenario, and Emma was speechless. And while all that was going on…
"Ha ha ha ha… AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Aoba guffawed loudly at our expense.
His laugh was grating to hear, and it was starting to get to everyone else as well. We managed to figure out the entire event that transpired, and for what?
Was there really nothing we could do?
…..
…..
…..
No, there's a few more rounds left to fire. I can't let them down.
Trunks's face appears in my mind, allowing me to remember his last words….. The first shot is right here!
Truth Bullet Selected: Get Out of Trial Free Card
"Anyways... Before we continue, I have two questions for you, Aoba." I said to him, feeling nothing but disgust towards him.
Everyone else then snapped out of their state of hopelessness as soon as they heard me. Here goes nothing.
"Hm? Fire away, lightning rod."
I gripped my fists very hard at that remark, but then I took a deep breath.
"Number 1, where did you get that watch?" I asked him politely, despite my seething on the inside.
"Oh this? Someone left it here in a box addressed to me. No idea who it could be honestly." He answered calmly.
"Really now? May I take a quick look at it?" I asked and he complied.
"Try not to mess it up, I find it quite nice on me." He warned me and I ignored him.
"Uh… Ai, what does that have to do with—"
"Shhh!" Emma puts her hand over Gold's mouth as I studied the silver watch.
"2:05 pm. I see..." I thought to myself as I handed him the watch back.
"I assume you weren't observing it because of its looks. Better hope what you found was useful. Now your second question?" He cleaned the watch before reattaching it to his left wrist.
"Right, can I look over your 'Get Out of Trial Free Card'?"
"Hmph, what's next, patting me down to check for weapons?" Aoba rolled his eyes at me as he passed the card.
"Considering all that you've done, that's not completely out of the question." Ishigami said bluntly.
I silently agreed with him as I read through the instructions on the card. They were ridiculously small, probably to make it difficult for anyone to even notice, but I managed to make out most of it.
One thing caught my eye though… and it ties in with what I suspected with Aoba's watch as well. The others noticed how sure of myself I looked and they nodded towards me, almost like they're telling me to "Go for it!".
I better not keep them waiting then, let's take that leap of faith.
Truth Bullet Selected: Catatonic Monokuma
"So you were saying earlier that for some reason Monokuma didn't accept your card. When we encountered him earlier today, he wasn't moving, only a shocked expression on his face." I recalled for everyone to hear.
"T-That's right! Robo-Teddiursa's offline! But uh… why is that important exactly?" Gold scratched his head.
"Normally if another Monokuma is down, then a clone would pop up right? We've only seen one Monokuma lately, something's up." Miles raised one finger to emphasize his point.
"I think I get what Ai is saying… the mastermind must have prevented Aoba from turning in the card purposely. Did you do anything else?" Emma asked him.
"No, after stabbing Espio, I went to Monokuma. He popped up, I tried handing it to him, but he didn't take it. Just stood there and looked dumbfounded. Tried it again in the morning before you all found the bodies, but he was still there." Aoba rolled his eyes, annoyed.
"I see… now I'm sure I got it. Something went wrong." A smile returned to Emma's face.
"Excuse me, what are you saying? Of course something went wrong, I can't even turn in my damn card! I should be out of here by now, and the rest of you are executed." Aoba furrows his eyebrows.
"Well Aoba old pal… from what I can tell, you're screwed." Ryuji gives a sharp, shark-like, smirk to Aoba.
"Aw man… Guess Flower Gal's the one calling the shots, oh well. I'm behind her all the way, right Pibu?"
"Pichu! Pichu!" Gold pats his Pokémon with a smile.
"Tch, you all recovered fast from learning what really happened. You've collected all the evidence needed to end the trial already, why are you all so eccentric all of a sudden?" Aoba was taken aback by our behavior.
"Because we know it was YOUR fault that both died in the first place. Plus, your actions contributed to many of our friends' deaths, not just the victims here. Of course we're putting all our odds on what we have left, just so you can go down!" Miles quipped.
"Even if we're going down, might as well." Ishigami said bluntly.
"Now that we're all in agreement, let me read aloud what I found on your card." I cleared my throat before beginning, "Whoever redeems this opportunity will be able to exit Monocity after killing one of their fellow citizens. However, they must commit their crime by midnight of the day they choose to redeem it, or else they would have to try again.
"That is… oddly specific." Ishigami tilted his head in confusion.
"Okay? But I managed to complete that task before that occurred. I timed it correctly." Aoba just looked more flustered.
"Really now? What exactly did you use to do that?" I ask with a smug expression.
"This of course! The watch I showed you earlier, why are you asking me questions that have such obvious answers!" He's really getting mad now.
"That watch, huh? You do realize that sometimes they're not always set up exactly when you first get them, right? You might need to adjust for time zones, daylight savings, etc…" Miles snarked.
"Okay Spiderboy—"
Miles interrupted him, "It's Spider-Man, and also I could tell you didn't even say Spider-Boy with a hyphen in there."
"WHATEVER. The watch was an easier way to check, regardless of complete accuracy. Especially since I—"
"Since you lost this?" Ishigami whipped out Aoba's e-Handbook nonchalantly.
Truth Bullet Selected: Aoba's e-Handbook
"T-That's my—"
"You must have dropped it when Espio threw those stars at you, before they caught Bernie. Pretty stupid if you ask me, ha!" Ryuji laughed.
"Ughhhh, what does it matter! I still had my watch on me, so I could still use it to time my murder correctly! I WIN." Aoba slams his wooden stand in rage.
"We've got him, can you allow me to do the honors?" Emma asked me.
I nodded yes.
Panic Talk Action
"IDIOTS, ALL OF YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING! A BUNCH OF SICKENING INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN'T JUST TAKE A LOSS!"
He's shouting really loud, nothing close to Tatsumi level, but still…. Maybe I could take my zombie ears off so he would be on mute.
"I'VE COME THIS FAR BECAUSE I COULD NOT STAND TO LIVE IN THIS HELLHOLE FOR ANOTHER DAY! STUCK WITH FREAKS WHO ARE THE EXACT REASON WHY I HATE HUMANITY! A LOUDMOUTH SKATER BOY AND HIS STUPID RAT…
"Hey…" Gold holds Pibu back from charging at him.
"A DELINQUENT WITH DYED HAIR WHO SPITS VULGARITY WITH EVERY SENTENCE…"
"You know what, FUCK YOU TOO MAN!" Ryuji felt offended by that.
"A BRAT WITH ANTENNA HAIR AND ANNOYING JOYFUL ATTITUDE…"
Emma played with her ahoge after hearing him.
"HUMAN GARBAGE PERSONIFIED…"
"Ouch…" Ishigami steps back quite a bit, and I don't blame him.
"A FREAKISH TEENAGER THAT STICKS TO WALLS AND SHOOTS… WHATEVER THE HELL THAT IS OUT OF HIS BODY…"
"It's actually done with web shooters here on my wri—"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! And you…" His words softened as he got to me next, "A charred, rotting pile of bandages that should have been left buried in the ground. Or in Japan, cremated to finish the job the lightning couldn't…"
His words meant nothing to me anymore, it was all just the rambling of a guy who made the killing game what it was. Other than the mastermind of course.
"If you got something to say, SPIT IT THE HELL OUT! I timed everything correctly, my murder was completed before midnight!
"This should prove you wrong!" Emma exclaimed as the final piece of evidence reared its head.
Truth Bullet Used: Aoba's Watch
BREAK!
"If you really did kill Espio on time, prove it. What's the time right now?" Emma pointed at his watch.
"Are… are you serious?" He uttered, out of breath after his tantrum.
"We are, now tell us. Don't… take your time now." I giggled a bit.
"Huff… huff…. Fine!" Aoba looks at his watch and responds immediately, "4:00 pm."
"... Ha ha…. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Emma let out a big laugh after realizing what he just said there.
"What's… so… funny, kid?" Aoba continued to breathe heavily.
"Aoba, you should really learn not to drop your things, they would have helped you double check."
Emma gets handed Aoba's handbook from Ishigami, and she turns it around.
The time… 4:05 pm. 5 minutes ahead of his watch.
Aoba crumbled to the ground, exhausted.
"... Just end it already. Summarize, then vote."
"You think you've gotten everything from the case, everyone?" I asked my friends, they nodded in agreement, "Good, let's do this one as a team then!"
"Right!" Everyone said at once.
"Here's everything that happened in this case!"
Closing Argument
(Insert Song: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Re: Climax Return)
Miles stepped forward, "I'll take the first shot! The killer first wrote a note to Bernadetta, lying that they managed to capture Maga-Z to lure her out. She went alone, but Espio wound up following her."
Gold was next, "Shy Violet Girl made it to the top of the statue, and Ninja Lizard joined them and attacked our murderer! Buuuut he ends up stuck to a railing with his own weapon, irony…"
Ryuji joined in, "However, the dude's got his left hand free. His tosses ninja stars at our culprit, but they end up dragging poor Bernie off the statue instead. While dodging the stars, the culprit dropped his e-Handbook at the scene of the crime too. Very careless..."
Ishigami reviewed what was left before saying his piece, "Her forehead collided with the statue itself, killing her before she could hit the ground. Espio manages to break free and dive after her, but by the time he landed it was too late."
Emma concludes the events that transpired, "While Espio mourned over his failure, our blackened took the ninja's weapon and drove it into his chest. But unbeknownst to him, he himself was too late, killing our friends five minutes after his time ran out."
"The Ultimate Manipulator has finally fallen! Aoba Kuronuma, you are our guilty party!"
COMPLETE!
The votes were cast, and even he voted for himself.
Aoba has accepted defeat, we have won.
But… somehow, I don't feel satisfied.
TRIAL END
ALL RISE!
Aoba sighs heavily, "Now where's that goddamn bear? He should have been here by now."
"Hold on just a moment. We may have managed to reveal everything with the murder, but you haven't told us what happened before Espio showed up." I walk up to him, all business.
"If you really want to know… Bernadetta didn't believe me for a second. She just followed my instructions just to call me out. 'Why did you do such terrible things?' is pretty much what she had been saying the entire time. But… she did tell me that she already sent Maga-Z back to Tanaka with her final message."
Final message… She knew she was going to die.
"She knew I wanted to kill her, but she thought that she'd be better off dead. Especially with the way she reacted to you, Ai, she felt really bad about not talking to you after I revealed you were a zombie. I just reacted the way I always did to everything she told me, except for two things."
Great, I went from feeling empty from victory to mourning over my friend once more.
"The first thing… she asked if I did bad things to make myself feel good. If I enjoyed hurting others…. I didn't."
His words shocked us all, and to be honest… I believed him.
"Sure, I am a masochist, but I just did all of this because I had to. Humans tend to do cruel things to others because they are weak, believing that inspiring fear in others would make them seem powerful. It doesn't, but they do it anyway, my brother was like that. That's just a big reason why I hate humanity…. As well as myself…. I actually told her this crap too, since she was going to die anyway."
Aoba… had tears in his eyes. Different from when he told me why he hated humanity.
I couldn't ever forgive him, but Aoba Kuronuma… he was just desperate. Nothing changes what he had done to all of us, to our dead friends, but regardless he's not COMPLETELY at fault.
It's all the fault of Monokuma… and the mastermind. And speak of the devil…
"Konkuma, konkuma, konkuma! Danganronpa, 54th generation, Monokuma, kuma!"
"It looks like you won't hear what else me and the recluse discussed. But I assume you'll find out soon enough. What took you so long?" Aoba walked forward to Monokuma.
"Copies of me aren't cheap, y'know! It's not like I can just reproduce them like a legion of drones in a church! Anywho, are you here for your punishment rulebreaker?" Monokuma guffaws like he usually does.
"I am… wait, rulebreaker?" Aoba asked.
"Yeah, it was your actions that led to MY PRECIOUS STATUE getting blood all over it! Remember what was stated in Rule #5?"
I clicked on my e-Handbook and looked at the rule once more.
"Rule #5: Violence against mayor Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras and vandalizing landmarks."
"WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT…. So, you're gonna punish him just because of your goddamn statue getting tainted?!" Ryuji's voice echoed.
"Of course! Why else would I execute him, did I miss anything?" The bear tilted his head.
"We just went… through all of that… FOR NOTHING?!" Aoba yelled.
"Uh… yes?"
I…. I just can't stomach this.
"Just kill me now." Aoba falls flat on his back.
"You got it! Now then, I've prepared a VERY special punishment for Aoba Kuronuma, the Ultimate Manipulator! Let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!" Monokuma said his usual schtick, as the rest of us were just filling up with rage.
"Hey Ai, Bernadetta also wanted to return these. Just couldn't get the chance to. Farewell, and… send the mastermind to her special place in hell."
Aoba tossed out my missing yellow flower earrings, the ones I lost during the battles with Mechamaru in The Gauntlet.
Monokuma hits the button with his gavel, and Aoba is dragged to the execution room.
Complete silence as we witness his demise.
GAME OVER
AOBA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
Aoba awakens in his home from when he was a child, and he looks over to see the door to his room open. A man with long slicked back hair, a burn scar on the right of his face, and sunglasses as well.
It was an image of his brother Ran Izumi, who clutched a sledgehammer in his hands and wore an evil grin on his face.
Execution: Brotherly Love
The whole process was simple, but the… execution was carried out slowly and painfully. Aoba is paralyzed by fear, which his big bro takes advantage of.
First was a shot to the stomach with the sledgehammer's handle. That brings Aoba to his knees. A strike with the bottom of the handle to the skull managed to get the blood running down his face. To prevent his brother from getting up, Ran went for Aoba's legs next. He screams as his bones shatter, leaving him unable to stand on his own two feet. Ran turned to leave, but not before stomping away on Aoba's spine and left arm. He laughs maniacally as he waves his baby bro goodbye.
Aoba begins to use his one working arm to crawl his way out of the room… but by the time he made it to the door, it was set aflame. The fire spread throughout the room as Aoba's crimson red face could only watch.
"Ran" then took off the outfit revealing himself to be Monokuma, as the fire continued to burn. The walls of the room then collapse, to reveal…
Aoba's charred remains.
"..."
"WAHOO! EXTREME! I really needed that. And what a way to go, huh? Huh? Huh?" Monokuma waddled into the center of us all.
"..."
"Eh? Hey Mizuno, zombie dog got your tongue? Figuratively, literally, or both?" Monokuma approached me, I was just kneeling on the cold floor.
"C'mon, talk to me! That's a…. wrap for the trial! Don't ya feel great, you just took down your worst enemy! And the rest of you aren't going to kill each other, so the game is over! You win!"
Did I now? Ha ha…
"You all get to stay here and live out the rest of your lives, friends 'til the end! Puhuhuhu~."
"..."
"Uh… cornflakes, can you hear me? Mummy girl? Popcorn hair? Extra crispy idol?"
He repeatedly bonked my head with that gavel of his as he continued to insult me.
…..
Fuck it.
WHAM!
I took the gavel, and swung it into Monokuma's head. It soars all the way over to the center of our trial stands.
"WHAT?!" Gold almost lost his footing.
"A-A-A-AI?!" Emma stuttered.
"What… what did you just do?" Ishigami looked over at the Monokuma head, as the left red eye went dark.
I don't care about this game anymore, this city. I am getting everyone out.
I stomp my foot into the ground as I prepared my lungs, "I know who you are behind the cameras, I read through the book of past killing game participants. I saw that piece of the boat, and I know that the killer from the first trial wasn't who he said he was."
"C-Calm down for a second!" Miles put his hand on my shoulder.
"Come out, you need to punish me for attacking the mayor, correct? Reveal yourself… SHIROGANE!"
It was then that I heard machinery whirring, Monokuma's head fell through a trap door as a small platform rose at the center of the trial room.
"What a stupid move to make, Mizuno. Screwing the rules is MY job."
"K-KAIBA?!" Ryuji reacted in surprise.
"No, it's not him. The footage I've looked at has him acting more intelligent than he was back during the first trial. He wouldn't have chosen to kill so early without a well constructed plan…. This is cosplay." I revealed.
"Cos… play?" Emma tilted her head at that word.
"Ugh, you're no fun!" "Kaiba" said before revealing his true identity.
Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer.
"W-Who's this chick?!" Gold actually fell this time.
"That would take a lot of backstory, and to be frank, this chapter has gone on long enough. So I'll just take this idol and be on my way!" Her high pitch voice rings out as a chain shoots out and grabs my neck.
A few more chain my other body parts down, so I couldn't just have them pop off like the zombie I am.
"Ack!" I cry out.
"Ai! GAH!" Ryuji ended up running into the wooden stand.
"Oh ho ho, careful! You shouldn't put more pressure on your stomach, or else your stitches will be undone!" Tsumugi teases him.
"Oh no you don't!" Miles attempts to web her up, but then Tsumugi transforms into a girl with braids, glasses, and a freakish tongue.
She cuts down the webs with scissors quickly.
"W-What the…" Miles said in response.
"I've got this, VOLT TACKLE!" Gold commanded Pibu to charge at her.
"Say cheese!" Tsumugi says before transforming into a red-haired girl with a camera.
The flash blinds Pibu and the mastermind clutches him in her hands.
"Oh wow, how did you escape little guy? JEEZ, I've been looking for you, now we can amp up Ai's execution!" She laughs while Pibu squirms.
"W-WAIT, EXECUTION?!" Emma looks on with worry.
"Not today of course, I'm very exhausted. I'll see you all tomorrow morning, don't break any more rules until then, bye bye!"
She turned back into her original look, with long blue hair and glasses.
We descend below the trial room, and into the dark.
I still hear the shouts of my companions echo before the hole is sealed up.
I'm alone.
Remaining Citizens: 6
To Be Continued…
GODDAMN THIS WAS LITERALLY THE LONGEST THING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN. But man it was worth it, even though I totally could have split this chapter in two. Chapter 5 is over… the finale of Fictional Nexus is coming soon. What a doozy, but I hope you all enjoyed what you read here. See you all next time, and I'll be awaiting your thoughts and opinions.