A choice of three… if you want to help the mastermind.
Enoshima's words spun round and round through Togami's head, a dizzying whirl of repetitions. She'd given him the answer he'd wanted, shown him the choice he could make to prove he would help Makoto… the choice of how to participate in the game that he'd promised to abandon.
The unexpected idea made his shoulders tense with discomfort, as if trying to force himself back into a jacket he'd long since outgrown. He'd let go of any thoughts of winning the game long ago, when he'd realized that he couldn't bring himself to cause Makoto's death. Winning could never have been worth the pain that such a result would cost him.
But of course, now that he knew the truth about the game's origins, he didn't need to worry about that particular nightmare any longer. The game couldn't pose a serious threat to the mastermind running it, not unless they stupidly allowed it to do so… and Makoto's skilled plotting proved him to be anything but stupid. So if he could trust that Makoto would be safe… if he didn't have to fear hurting the boy he wanted to protect…
"You can't be serious."
Ogami's voice cut through the whirl of confusion. He looked up, back into the darkness of the circle, and his eyes ached in protest as they tried again to trace out the other students' features in the narrow beams of light. He'd spent so long staring at Makoto, close enough to touch, and Enoshima, in her own bright spotlight, that he'd lost the knack of seeing others. Little more than the dark outline of Ogami's silhouette made it across the circle — but even with so little, he could still see that she'd braced herself in a fighting stance.
"None of us will stand still and allow you to make such threats," Ogami went on, tension crackling from her in an almost physical aura. "If you mean to attack us, then we will certainly —"
"Leave your podiums?" Enoshima interrupted, propping her head on one hand, elbow braced on the throne's armrest. "Before the trial is over?"
Metal whirred overhead, and Togami froze at the familiar sound. He couldn't see what was happening above him, but he didn't need to — not after the fourth trial. The sound of machine guns lowering from the ceiling couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
"So it's die if we do or die if we don't?" Jill's hands flew up, scissors poised in each one. "What if we take a third option?"
"Huh? I thought you were tired of the killing game — but you want to play another round?" Enoshima conjured up a ditzy, empty-headed smile. "Man, it's too bad you couldn't get this fired up a few days ago! But hey, who am I to stop you if you're that pumped?" She tilted her head. "Might kinda suck for you if there's no one left to deactivate the automatic trigger on the guns to take down anyone who gets too far from their podiums, though."
A chill snaked down Togami's spine at the thought of all the times he'd considered flouting Monokuma's order to stay put at his podium through the entire trial. But it did make sense that security in the trial room had to be automated… why else would Makoto and Enoshima have felt safe enough to enter in person with all their victims?
"So you believe we are cornered and defenseless?" Ogami shook her head. "Surely that applies to you as well, does it not? If no one may leave their podiums till the trial ends, then Togami would have no opportunity to commit a murder."
She had a point — without some sort of projectile weapon, he couldn't do much to the others. For a moment, he considered trying to locate the scissors that Jill had flung at Makoto — but throwing weapons had never been his specialty. He knew that he could hit a practice target at this distance with a knife — but a kill shot in these conditions was something else entirely. Between the unfamiliar heft of scissors and the heavy darkness blanketing the room, it would be a waste of time to chance it.
"Ooh, you're right!" Enoshima snapped her fingers in overacted frustration. "Too bad I didn't think of that sooner!" She heaved a sigh, as if all the cares of the world weighed her down. "I guess there's only one thing left for me to try!"
Her hand shot out, whip-fast, tapping a pattern against a piece of the throne hidden by the ornate curve of embellishments. It had to be a control panel of some kind, but he barely had a moment to consider what it might do before another mechanical whirring filled the room.
Where was it coming from? His eyes shot around the room, staring into the shadows around them — but the darkness remained as impenetrable as ever. He couldn't even pinpoint the specific spot something was moving — every time he thought it might be in one corner, it came from another. It wasn't above him, so at least he could eliminate the guns — but that was all he could tell. For all he knew, whatever Enoshima had set in motion was creeping up on them from all directions at once.
The thought raised all the hairs on his neck, and before he could think the better of it, he spun to check the room behind him. It should have been empty air, nothing but darkness upon darkness —
Until a jagged red lightning bolt burst into being, illuminating just enough to identify a terrifying black and white face.
Togami jerked back from the Monokuma robot advancing from the gloom, spine cracking against the podium as he instinctively sought to put as much space as possible between them. As bad as Monokuma's disgustingly cute expressions had been, the lifeless face on this one was somehow even more unsettling. What was it doing? What would it do if it reached him?
But it didn't. Its shuffle slowed to a halt a few feet away from him, too far to touch but still too close for any peace of mind.
Fighting to slow his racing heart, he forced himself to turn his head enough to address Enoshima. "What is this supposed — supposed to —" His angry demand fell away from his lips as he caught sight of the rest of the circle. Red lightning bolts slashed across the air behind the podiums of every student, alive or dead, their eerie glow encircling the students like chains.
"Nice, huh?" Enoshima beamed like she expected everyone to praise her. "Now, I know your first time can be rough, so I figured I'd make it as easy as possible."
Light gleamed on the podium, and Togami glanced down to see the familiar sight of voting buttons that they'd used to select the blackened in previous trials.
"Shouldn't be a tough choice, if you really want to show the mastermind how you feel."
Note: Thank you everyone for your patience as I continue at this every other week rate. My writing speed has really been impacted by the stress, the change in activity, and the inability to get to my usual writing locations. I hope you're all staying safe and well!
