"What the hell do you mean, 'the mastermind's favorite?'" Togami glared at Kirigiri. "Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?"

"This would hardly be the time for it." Kirigiri had the nerve to look unfazed by his snarled question.

"So you're serious?" Togami didn't even try to hold back a scornful laugh. "Weren't you paying attention when the mastermind nearly murdered Makoto?"

"Yes, of course. I've been paying attention to everything they've done." Kirigiri took his question seriously, even though she must have heard the sarcasm. "In case it escaped your notice, the mastermind had already killed at least ten people by the time Naegi's execution rolled around, but none of them got a last minute saving grace."

"So?" Togami knew the response sounded childish, but he didn't care. If she insisted on wasting everyone's time with absurd questions, then why should he bother with a real answer?

Kirigiri sighed. "So that means Naegi's execution was the only one that allowed for even a slim chance of survival. Every other method led to a guaranteed death. Why was he treated differently?"

"Why does the mastermind do anything?" Togami shot back. "It could be anything. For all we know, maybe they intended to keep him around for one of their future motives. What does it matter?"

"It matters because the mastermind always has a reason for their actions. We may not have been certain of their ultimate goal, but it's been clear from the start that everything they've done has been part of some greater plan." Her gaze slid away from him, even as one eyebrow lifted. "Isn't that right, Naegi?"

"Oh — well, yeah, I guess so," Makoto agreed, before Togami could warn him not to respond to a word of Kirigiri's insanity. "I don't think she could've set up this game if she did things for no reason. But — but what did you mean, I'm her favorite? Because I don't think —"

"Then if everything so far has been a part of some overarching plan," Kirigiri went on, as if Makoto hadn't even said a word beyond agreeing with her, "why would the mastermind abandon their plans so late in the game to do something of benefit to us?"

Makoto hesitated, biting his lip, and for a moment Togami thought that for once he might argue with the detective he called his friend, might demand that she give his questions the same consideration he gave hers — but then Makoto sighed, and the moment passed. "She wouldn't, that's for sure."

"Then if you aren't here because the mastermind abandoned their plans," Kirigiri pressed relentlessly on, "why? Why did you survive an execution when no one else could have? Why have you met the mastermind twice when the rest of us haven't been able to get close?"

"He already told you he doesn't know!" Togami snapped.

He might as well not have spoken. Kirigiri's gaze never flickered from Makoto, as if the room had narrowed to the two of them alone. "And it's more than just the mastermind's most recent actions. The questions go back even further, once we start to look."

She raised a gloved hand just beneath her chin, in the narrow beam of light shining up from her podium, and began ticking items off on her fingers as she listed them. "Why didn't the mastermind intervene to prevent you from learning the identity of their spy among us, before they were ready for Monokuma to unmask her? Why did they let you search the headmaster's office when they had to know our class's student roster was hidden there? Why did they go out of their way to give you game-breaking advantages like the upgraded handbook and tickets that could circumvent doors?"

Togami opened his mouth to unleash the scathing retort she deserved — but the sight of three gloved fingers raised ink black against the shadowy room stole the words from his throat. Three questions — and no matter how sternly told himself that they didn't matter, they were just nonsense, Kirigiri didn't know what she was talking about — three questions he couldn't answer.

And he wasn't the only one. He could have sworn his fingers gripped a tense metal rod rather than a human wrist, and when he glanced down, he could see that Makoto's normally expressive face had gone very still. Was the other boy confused… or angry… or maybe frightened…? It should have been obvious, but no matter how hard he looked, Togami couldn't tell… and that realization dropped to the pit of his stomach in a heavy weight of ice.

"I guess if you put it like that… I guess you're right," Makoto said quietly, his wide eyes locked on Kirigiri as beat after beat of his heart ticked away beneath Togami's fingers. "All of that does make it sound like —" He swallowed, and if he hadn't been so pale from his wounds, Togami knew the blood would have drained from his face. "Like I'm her favorite."

Togami would have given anything to be able to order Makoto to stop being ridiculous, to reassure him that the mastermind had to despise him just as much as all of the others… but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Deeply as he loved Makoto, those feelings couldn't drown out the logic and reason that he'd relied on throughout his life. Against his will, new arguments marshaled themselves before his eyes, supporting Kirigiri's claim beyond even what she'd said.

Monokuma had given Makoto any number of additional hints that no one else had received. He'd been the only one to see photos of their past school life, with the exception of one time when Togami had happened to be with him. He'd been the one to learn about the reason for Kirigiri's gloves, when they were investigating the headmaster's office. And when they'd finally entered the data center, when they'd hooked up the television to the airwaves only to find that it was showing a security feed of themselves, Makoto had been the one to whom Monokuma had explained the truth.

And even now… even here, in the trial room… "She called you sweetie." Togami all but spat the sour word from his throat, any endearment in the term destroyed. "Like she was pretending to be your friend."

Makoto flinched, and the sight of it sent nausea lurching through Togami's stomach. He'd been alone with the mastermind ever since the end of the previous trial… what had she done to him?

"I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the mastermind does think something along those lines," Kirigiri said, not even pausing to acknowledge the horror of her words. "After all, they even arranged a Monokuma-themed wheelchair, just for you. It must have been quite a lot of trouble to go through for that."

Her tone didn't change, but that last sentence made Togami narrow his eyes. "Considering that she apparently has the resources to arrange everything else we've seen in this game, I don't think a single custom-made wheelchair would be too surprising."

"Maybe." Kirigiri gave a one-shouldered shrug, as though to suggest that it didn't make much difference. "But the fact that the mastermind values Naegi is undeniable. Which leads us to the next question." She met Makoto's eyes. "Why haven't you told us about the mastermind?"

"Huh?" Makoto blinked, clearly taken aback. "But — I told you that already, didn't I? Because she —"

"Used to be our friend," Kirigiri finished. "Yes. You did say that you remember them."

"I didn't mean to act like I was hiding anything," Makoto said at last, when Kirigiri didn't appear to say more. "I wouldn't do that! It's just —" He stopped and took a breath, shaking his head. "Okay. The mastermind is Junko Enoshima."

Togami blinked. Enoshima? He hadn't expected to hear that name again, not when the overbearing fashionista had gotten herself impaled back at the start of the game. "How does that work? We all saw her killed in front of us."

"No." Makoto was already shaking his head. "That wasn't really her. That was —"

"That was Mukuro Ikusaba, our resident disappointment — also known as my twin sister."

Togami's head jerked in the direction of the unexpected voice — and he found himself staring at an unfamiliar pink-haired girl perched on Monokuma's throne, the robot seated on her lap. She grinned and fluttered her fingers at all of them. "Guess I should reintroduce myself, huh? I'm Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Fashionista and voice of Monokuma!"