"Uh-oh!" Said Monokuma. "Looks like you got it right on the money! The blackened in this case, the one that killed Maizono…"
He pointed to a flabbergasted Leon. "Was none other than Leon Kuwata!"
"Huh?" He gasped. "H-Hold on a second…"
"Leon…" I began. "Did you really kill Maizono…?"
"I don't believe it…" Trembled Asahina.
"Son of a bitch…!" Mondo said under his breath before yelling at Leon. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I-I didn't have a choice…" He began. "It was kill or be killed! S-So that's why… I killed her first."
Then he got mad. "None of you are any different! One wrong step, and you'd be the one standing here! It was complete chance that I wound up like this! I was just… Unlucky! That's all…"
"Grr…" Growled Mondo in frustration.
"H-Hey, come on…!" Leon protested nervously. "You expect me to just accept my death!?"
Everything's become clear… The decision we made was right after all. But when I think about that, honestly, I'd be better off if we'd been wrong. Because if what we came up with really is the truth…
Then that truth is that Maizono was trying to frame me…
But, even if that's true…
I can't say she was wrong. After all, the mastermind…
It's all because of that video…
Even I couldn't handle what I saw in there. If I was her, and the video actually had something to do with me, I can't even imagine…
The one thing that was more important to her than anything else; her dreams, her friends… To have something like that happen to them…
And Maizono…
"I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that… Weren't so pleasant."
And that's why Maizono, for the friends that meant so much to her…
That's why she betrayed me.
So, when she said that she needed me on her side, no matter what happens, she was lying to me from the very beginning. She was using me…
Is that why she talked to me in the first place…? I guess I'll never know… Because there's nothing I can do to ask her what she was thinking. Once you're dead, that's that…
Monokuma's voice snapped me out of my troubling thoughts. "Boy howdy!" He laughed. "The entertainment industry must sure be terrifying, huh? I mean, to try and kill someone just because of those relationships! She seemed so lovely on the outside, but inside… She'd descended into pure madness!"
"Wh-What did you say?" I gasped.
"I understand, I really do. Yup yup!" He continued. "You're in utter despair thanks to Maizono's betrayal, right? Compassion, intimacy, love… The stronger those feelings, the stronger the despair when they collapse!"
"Stop screwing with us!" I snapped. "This is all your fault! Maizono being forced to do something like that… All of it… Everything…! It's all your fault!"
Suddenly, in a frenzy, I lunged at Monokuma. But…
"That's enough." Said Kirigiri suddenly as she latched onto my arm without hesitation. Her grip was like iron, strong enough I was sure it would leave a bruise. "If you really want to make her enemies pay for what they've done, you need to let it go for now."
"Damnit!" I cursed. But still, she was right.
"Ahh, that was a close one!" Sighed Monokuma in relief. "I thought for sure you were gonna give me a good walloping! Just barely avoided punishment, you did! Now then! Since you magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial, the blackened, Leon Kuwata, will receive his punishment!"
"P-Punishment?" Whimpered Leon before screaming. "You mean… E-Execution?! W-Wait a second! I didn't have a choice! I HAD to kill her! Y-Yeah, that's it! I was just protecting myself in the heat of the moment! It was self-defence!"
"How, exactly, was it self-defence?" Asked Celeste. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, did you or did you not use your very own toolkit? After she'd shut herself in the bathroom, you went out of your way to head back to your own room, came all the way back, broke into the bathroom, and killed her. Am I wrong? You had any number of chances to stop what you were doing, but you chose not to. Is it not because you had an unclouded intent yo commit murder?"
"N-No! That's not-!" He protested. I interrupted him.
"Sop it…" I began. "I've had enough of this."
"Oh? Are you sure? You were closer to her than anyone, were you not?" Questioned Celeste. "He killed your precious Maizono. Do you understand?"
"I can't say Leon is solely to blame." I began. "Of course, I don't plan on blaming Maizono, either. Because the one to blame… Is him!"
I pointed angrily at Monokuma. He coked his head in confusion. "S'waaah!?"
"If it weren't for you, this never would've happened to Maizono, or Leon! We shouldn't be fighting each other; we should be fighting against the one who put us in this situation! The mastermind!"
"Uh-oh! Did you awaken to your sense of justice!?" He said ominously. "Well, it just so happens that there's nothing more unethical than an unwavering sense of justice. After all, it's people with that sort of mentality that perpetuate war all over the world. Is that the kind of justice that's awakened within you?!"
"Just… Shut up!" I yelled.
"Okay, well, anyway. More importantly…" He began as he turned to face Leon. "Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!"
"I'm begging you…!" Pleaded Leon. "Please, don't do this!"
"No more begging! No more excuses! You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"
"S-Stop, please!" Begged Leon. Monokuma ignored him and kept talking.
"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishemt for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star! Let's give it everything we've got! It's… PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"
"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Leon, but it was too late.
A large red button came up from the floor and in front of Monokuma's chair. He slammed his small gavel on it, and text appeared on the large monitor above him that read:
'GAME OVER. LEON HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT! '
At first, we were all waiting as Leon looked around frantically at everyone's faces. Before anyone had a chance to blink, a large claw came out of nowhere and grabbed Leon by the neck. He reached out for someone, anyone to help him, and deep down, I wanted to. Suddenly, he was pulled back with him screaming in fear. From the monitor, we could see that he was pulled down a long hallway, and eventually, up against a metal pole. The lights turned on, and it was revealed that he was in a batting cage in a makeshift baseball stadium.
As Leon frantically tried to pull himself out, a large baseball canon came up from a hole in the floor. Monokuma appeared wearing a baseball cap, and began swinging around a baseball bat frantically as the cannon began firing baseballs at Leon. As each one hit, Leon was screaming in pain. As it circled around him, Leon was screaming more and more. One of the baseballs rolled towards us, and it had a small amount of blood on it. When the cannon was out of baseballs, Leon's body flopped. Motionless.
Leon Kuwata is dead.