PSA: This chapter features some graphic-ish violence in angie's execution. Gore, knives, and Monokuma being Monokuma.
I'll put a * when the execution begins, and a * when it ends, in case you want to skip it.
Kaito was in turmoil.
Part of him still couldn't believe that it was Angie that had murdered Shuichi, and not Kirumi.
Even when Kokichi had outlined Shuichi's terrible fate, he still hadn't been able to accept it.
"Woah! You guys got it right! That means that you get to live…except for Yonaga. She has to suffer a painful execution!" Monokuma taunted them.
Kaito stepped away from his podium, his vision swaying.
He shut his eyes and let himself cry.
It was finally over.
Shuichi had been avenged.
There was only one thing left…
Angie's execution. Her "punishment" for murdering Shuichi.
In the trial, he'd gotten a little carried away with his desire for vengeance, almost becoming bloodthirsty. Now, he could see how wrong it was. Shuichi wouldn't have wanted him to give into despair.
Kaito had to stay strong. For his classmates.
He wanted answers. Which meant that he needed to question Angie.
She had promised to explain her motives for murdering Shuichi.
So, he opened his eyes and glared at the Ultimate Artist.
"Why did you murder my sidekick?" He roared at her, releasing some of his pent-up anger.
Angie took a deep breath.
"It was an accident." She confessed, smiling softly at him.
"Huh?" Kaito muttered.
She must be lying! But…in a way, it makes sense. Terrible sense. In the trial, she didn't really argue for her innocence. As for her manipulations…. she was trying to nudge us in the right direction. She wanted us to catch her. He realised.
"Last night, when I saw Kirumi leave Himiko's lab…she was covered in blood. I almost called out to her, but then I realised Shuichi wasn't with her. I was worried about him. So, I hurried into Himiko's lab to find him…there was blood everywhere. And Shuichi…he was lying in a large pool of it. I thought he was dead. I ran over to him, but…I slipped in the blood and fell on top of him. The sword went further in. He…he started bleeding even more. Then he went very still. I knew then that I had killed him, not Kirumi." Angie explained slowly.
"She's telling the truth Momota-chan." Kokichi stated. His expression was blank. He was carefully controlling his emotions.
If there was one thing that Kaito had learned in the second class trial, it was that there was a lot more to Kokichi than met the eye. He was far more astute and observant than he let on, and he had a lot of walls up.
More importantly, he was utterly opposed to Monokuma and the killing game. He didn't enjoy it, as he so falsely proclaimed, he hated it.
Perhaps we can help each other? He thought, wiping his eyes with the left sleeve of his jacket.
He smiled sadly at Kokichi, accepting his words.
Kokichi nodded gently at him and then turned to Angie.
"You wanted us to catch you." He accused her.
"Yup! I wanted you guys to work together and prove my guilt. And you did. Congrats!" Angie said brightly.
"B-but…" Kaito trailed off. He couldn't understand her cheerfulness. She was about to die. Quite painfully.
"We won't let your death go to waste." Kokichi promised. It was almost a vow. "We'll watch all of our motive videos, and we'll keep an eye on Tojo-chan."
He glared childishly at Kirumi.
She just blinked and looked away. She seemed utterly defeated.
"Thank you Kokichi. You're…more than you let on." Angie whispered.
She huffed and then started to cry.
Several others, most notably Himiko and Tenko, followed suit. Despair had finally overcome them.
"Nishishi. Don't give me too much credit." Kokichi deflected.
"Of course. Kaito also did a lot. You guys work well together. Please…find the truth and try to escape." Angie pleaded.
"Psh. With that attitude, the killing will freely continue and we'll all die." Kokichi insulted her.
"Who says it has to be that way? Think about it." Angie said quietly, giving him an intense look.
Kokichi smirked, but readily challenged her gaze.
Angie smiled warmly.
She winked at him and then thumbed at Kaito.
Kokichi frowned lightly at him.
Kaito just shrugged. He had no idea what she was doing.
Kokichi turned back to Angie, ready to question her, but she had already moved on and was comforting their classmates.
The first thing she did was hug Himiko.
"Did you lie about Atua?" Himiko mumbled in her arms.
"No. I told you the truth. Atua wants you to be more open Himiko." Angie said kindly. She squeezed the magician tightly and then stepped back.
Himiko covered her face with her hat, hiding her tears.
Angie turned to Tenko.
Tenko blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Angie to approach her next.
Angie dipped her head and whispered something to her.
Tenko nodded vigorously.
Angie smiled and went to Gonta.
The entomologist shook his head.
"Gonta can't believe you killed Saihara-kun." He wailed.
"Protect everyone." Angie said gently, patting his arm.
Gonta nodded stiffly.
Angie smiled wanly at him.
Gonta was too overcome to return it. He just cried harder and stared at the floor.
Everyone crowded around her.
Only Kaito, Kokichi, Kirumi, and Maki stayed behind. They watched the group with veiled expressions.
"I can't believe it either. Saihara-kun's death was an accident…" Tsumugi said, fidgeting with her hands.
"You hid the evidence because you didn't want Tojo-san to escape our notice." Kiibo said slowly.
"Why the hell did you intervene?" Miu snapped, hiding her sadness behind anger.
"Saihara-kun should be here. Not me." Ryoma muttered.
Angie smiled warmly at them and did her best to comfort them.
Kaito tuned them out. Angie had already answered his questions.
He needed to focus on Shuichi.
It was time to say goodbye.
He remembered Shuichi's promise to Kaede; to end the killing game and escape the school.
Part of him wanted to take up their promise, rally everyone together, and tell Monokuma to stick it.
But he hesitated.
He remembered Shuichi's beaten up corpse.
Maybe his dear sidekick had died because of that promise.
He had trusted implicitly in their classmates, and that trust had gotten him killed.
Kaito didn't want to end up the same way.
He reflected on the second class trial, and how he and Kokichi had worked together to solve Shuichi's murder.
Kokichi had done a lot for him. He had cleared Maki from suspicion by lying on his behalf and had arguably saved his life, along with everyone else's, when he had prevented them from prematurely voting for Kirumi.
The night before, Kokichi had also wanted everyone to share their videos. That's why he had organised the Insect Meet and Greet.
He hadn't done it out of malice, but concern.
Kokichi cared about his classmates.
Kaito sighed. He had developed a grudging respect for the Ultimate Supreme Leader.
Kokichi had shown him the flaws in his way of thinking.
Before the trial, Kaito had had complete faith in his classmates.
Now, he knew that was wrong.
He needed to become more logical, or he would end up like Kaede and Shuichi.
But Kokichi was also wrong. You needed some faith in this killing game, or you would lose.
Kokichi had gone against his principles and trusted him, and because of that, they had managed to work together and uncover the truth.
But that was only one instance. Kaito knew that after the trial, Kokichi would go back to pushing everyone away, because he didn't trust them.
That was wrong. It was a glaring flaw that Monokuma could easily take advantage of, if he ever wanted to get rid of Kokichi.
If Kaito had learned that blind faith was wrong, then Kokichi needed to learn that paranoid logic was also wrong.
Shuichi, I vow to not make the mistakes that you and Kaede made. Above all else, I'll end this fucking game, even if it kills me. He promised, remembering his illness.
He didn't have long to live, but he would make it count. He would make Monokuma pay.
Kaito took a deep breath and dried his eyes. He wouldn't cry anymore.
He looked at Monokuma. The bear was leering at the group. Soon he would call for Angie's execution.
It meant that he had less than a minute.
"Ouma…" He said.
"Hmm?" Kokichi hummed, grinning mockingly at him.
Kaito glared at Kirumi.
She sighed and walked away.
Maki got the hint and gave them some space. She joined the others.
"I want you to help me. Afterwards- right after this trial, I want us to watch the motive videos together. All of them. Our classmates will resist. I'll need your help to change their minds." Kaito said quickly.
"Why?" Kokichi deflected.
"We need to know what to watch out for. Also, they might contain some info about the killing game and the outside world." Kaito clarified, recalling Kirumi's video,
"Fine. I'll help you. But I just want you to know that I think you're boring and that I don't want to spend any more time with you. I can feel my braincells dying every time I speak to you." Kokichi mocked him.
Kaito took a deep breath. Kokichi was deliberately riling him up-no, pushing him away, because he was making up for his behavioural slip ups in the trial.
I'm not gonna let you slip away and hide behind your façade. You need to face the truth. Kaito vowed silently.
"All right. But we're gonna watch yourvideo first." He said.
Kokichi stuck his tongue out at him.
"I don't care, because guess what…I received my own video." He admitted flippantly.
Kaito frowned.
It was just another ploy to push him away.
Hmm. Unless it's true. If so, Ouma must've received his own video for a reason… He thought.
"All right everyone! It's punishment time!" Monokuma suddenly announced.
Himiko bit her lip. She looked close to tears.
"No! I'm not ready to say goodbye!" She declared.
"Have strength Himiko." Angie said, giving her another hug.
Himiko tried to cling on to her and prevent from leaving, but Angie shook her head and gently pried her off.
She turned to the others.
"Share your videos!" She said.
She turned him and Kokichi.
"Continue working together." She demanded brightly.
Kaito frowned.
Kokichi sniggered and looked away.
Angie chuckled.
"Remember me." She whispered.
Kaito blinked at her. He didn't understand her at all.
Kokichi didn't look at her.
Angie faced Monokuma.
"I'm ready!" She yelled excitedly, doing her best to hide her fear.
Monokuma chuckled harshly.
"I've prepared a special punishment for the Ultimate Artist!" He declared.
"I'm sure you have. Lay it on me." Angie pressed.
Monokuma grinned eerily at her.
The red button emerged from the floor. He performed a little flip and hit it with a hammer.
The Kubs surrounded Angie.
She nodded solemnly and calmly followed them out of the room to her execution.
She was still smiling.
A few minutes later, the TV screen came down.
It played a yellow animation of Monokuma dragging away a cross-eyed Angie, with the caption: "Angie has been found guilty. Time for the punishment."
A sandy beach with a stone altar appeared.
Angie was strapped to the altar.
The kubz had dressed her in a skimpy white bikini, even skimpier than the ones she usually wore, and had put white flowers- hibiscuses in her hair. She was almost nude.
Angir grinned at the camera. She had accepted her fate.
A title came up:
"Artistic Sacrifice!
Ultimate Artist Angie Yonaga's execution: executed!"
It was written in blood-red ink.
The screen switched back to Angie.
A hundred small Monokumas appeared. They wore little loincloths and carried knives and paintbrushes.
Two others came on-screen. They were heaving a large-impossibly large, canvas across the beach.
They put it behind the altar and then joined the others.
The Monokuma-tribe started cheering, waving their knives and brushes in the air and jumping up and down.
Angie laughed with them.
They then formed an orderly queue, looping around the altar and the beach in a big whirling line.
Angie's smile became slightly nervous.
The bears began chanting, a creepy mumbling rhyme that gave Kaito a headache.
The first bear stepped forward and raised its knife-
He slashed Angie's right wrist. It was a tiny cut, but even so, it produced a few droplets of blood.
Angie's smile didn't falter.
The bear immediately pressed his paintbrush to the wound and then stepped behind the altar.
He put a tiny streak of red on the canvas.
The next bear stepped forward and repeated the process.
Then the next one, and so on and so forth.
The rest of the tribe was still chanting.
Kaito swallowed.
They were going to drain Angie of her blood.
By the tenth cut, Angie was biting her lip.
She was still trying to smile, but it was very strained.
By the twentieth, she was crying and whimpering, no longer able to put up a brave façade.
The execution went on.
The bears sped up. They moved on to her other arm, then her legs, and finally her chest.
It took Kaito a few moments to realise what they were painting.
A giant Monokuma.
The chanting waned.
The bears exchanged worried looks. They'd realised that they didn't have enough blood to finish the picture.
They grumpily re-joined the line, readying their knives and brushes for another go.
"Quicker!" A Monokuma urged his fellows.
In response, the bears crowded around Angie, blindly cutting her.
Kaito couldn't see her anymore.
The sand around the altar turned red.
Eventually, they stood back, revealing their work and Angie's still form.
The canvas showed a grinning, red Monokuma.
Angie was wailing in pain.
She was covered in hundreds of small cuts. They were all dripping blood and had stained her bikini pink.
The chanting ended.
The tribe dropped their blood-stained knives and brushes and stood to one side.
A huge, very fat, Monokuma appeared.
He had numerous blue tattoos and various nose rings, earrings, and even a lip ring. He wore a grass skirt and wielded a large wooden staff.
He was their chief.
He waddled over to the canvas and inspected it.
He turned around and frowned at the tribe, shaking his head with clear disapproval. Their sacrifice had displeased him.
They gasped, too stunned to speak.
The chief went over to Angie and stared whacking her with his staff, blaming her for their failure.
She wailed sharply as he hit her arms and legs.
The chief left, muttering something about disappointment.
Afterwards, the tribe stared listlessly at Angie for a few moments, then their eyes turned into slits and they screamed at her in anger.
One of them went offscreen and quickly returned with a large gas cannister.
The bears cheered.
They coated Angie and the canvas with the flammable liquid. She screamed as the substance hit her wounds.
Kaito winced. He briefly looked away, before quickly looking back. He felt ashamed.
The tribe stepped aside.
One of them lit match and set the canvas on fire, before pushing it on top of Angie.
She screamed and screamed as the flames engulfed her.
The kubs appeared.
Monotaro crept closer to the flames and peered into them. They enraptured him.
Suddenly, Monodam shoved him forward.
Monotaro flailed and yelled as he fell into the flames. He died very quickly.
Monophanie and Monosuke stared at Monodam with wide eyes.
He ignored them and walked away.
Angie finally stopped screaming.
The screen went black.
Everyone remained silent.
Kaito felt sick.
He looked at Kokichi. He didn't know why.
The other boy was staring at the floor. He was scowling and was trembling quite badly.
Kaito quickly realised that it wasn't sadness, but anger.
Kokichi was furious over Angie's death.
Kaito stepped towards him, wanting to comfort him, when he was suddenly disturbed by a loud wail.
He flinched. It sounded like a wounded animal.
He looked around and paled when he saw who had emitted the noise.
Himiko.
She had fallen to her knees and was sobbing heavily.
Tenko leaned down and hugged her close.
Gonta swiftly hugged them both.
All three of them were crying.
One by one, the others joined them.
Except the four of them. Again.
Kokichi was still trembling, Maki was glaring at Monokuma, and Kirumi was standing by the door, refusing to look at anyone.
As for him…
He went and stood next to Kokichi, waiting for him to calm down.
Kokichi took a deep breath and looked up at their classmates. He was serious for a moment, then he grinned mockingly and stepped forward.
Kaito blinked.
He knew what Kokichi was about to do; either mock Angie's memory or Himiko's sadness in order to incense their classmates and make them hate him. He was pushing them away.
He frowned and grabbed Kokichi's shoulder, stopping him.
Kokichi jumped and then glared at him. He hadn't noticed his presence.
"Ouma, don't." Kaito said quietly.
Kokichi grinned devilishly at him.
"Don't taunt them. Not now. Let them mourn." Kaito warned him.
Kokichi shrugged lazily.
Kaito sighed.
"Look, I get it, you're worried…you slipped up in the trial and you want to save face. Just…please don't be a dick now." He pleaded.
Kokichi's grin drooped. His façade had cracked.
Kaito briefly squeezed his shoulder and then let go.
Hopefully, Kokichi would get the message.
He went to comfort Himiko. He didn't cry.
After a few minutes, everyone stood back and tried to rein themselves in.
Monokuma and the Kubs had long since departed.
Gonta helped Himiko to her feet. He offered to carry her, but she shook her head.
"I wanna walk." She muttered.
"Yumeno-san needs rest." Tenko said.
Kaito huffed.
"She can rest after we've watched our motive videos." He stated seriously.
His classmates flinched at his sharp tone.
"I understand your feelings Momota-kun. You're upset over Saihara-kun's death. But now is not the time to force us to watch our videos." Korekiyo said.
Kaito chuckled humourlessly.
"We're watching them. Now." He pressed.
"Momota-kun, I sympathise. But Shinguji-kun is right. We need rest. Even I need to recharge." Kiibo said.
Ryoma gave Kaito a curious look.
"You've already seen my video. And I don't care about the others. I'm not sticking around- "He started.
"Yes, you are. We all are. We'll watch them right here." Kaito declared.
"Hey! Shut up! Who gave you authority?" Miu yelled angrily.
"I'm not letting you bully Yumeno-san." Tenko spat, taking an akido stance.
"He's right." Maki suddenly quipped. Her voice was cold and calculating.
"If we wait until tomorrow, I guarantee that most of you will refuse to share your videos. If Saihara's death has taught us anything, it's that we have all become too complacent. Plus, Yonaga wanted us to share our videos." She lectured.
Tenko glared at her. Then-
"I want to share my video! I want to follow Angie's wishes!" Himiko suddenly said.
She was still crying, but her eyes were full of determination.
Kaito nodded.
"I volunteer to collect them!" Kokichi yelled.
He was grinning at them. But it wasn't mocking. It was tempered.
Kaito smiled warmly at him.
"There's just one thing…is everyone aware that the motive videos have the same quality as the flashback lights?" Kokichi said cryptically.
Kaito stilled.
"What do you mean?" He said hurriedly.
Kokichi chuckled.
"Weeeeeelll, in the class trial, when Tojo-chan was explaining her motive, she said that she only remembered being the PM of Japan after watching her video, not before. Poor Angie didn't think about that." He explained.
Kaito frowned.
"W-wait! Does that mean that if we watch our videos…we'll turn into murderers?" Tsumugi exclaimed.
"We can't risk it. We can't watch our videos!" Kiibo said.
"Wait! We need to be democratic about this. If people want to share their videos, we can watch them. If not, we won't. I want to share mine." Kaito said, swallowing nervously.
"I wanna share mine as well!" Kokichi agreed.
Kaito grinned and looked at the others.
"Right. Who else wants to share their video?" He said.
Himiko immediately volunteered, as did Tenko and Gonta.
In contrast, Tsumugi, Kiibo, Korekiyo, and Miu all refused.
Kaito turned to Maki. She hadn't said anything.
"Harukawa?" He said.
Maki was glaring at Kokichi with narrow eyes. Her lips were pursed and she seemed quite angry.
"It's all right Harukawa. You don't need to share your video." Kaito said kindly.
"I wanna see it! Maki could still be hiding something!" Ouma yelled.
Maki sighed and then nodded.
"I still think that we should share all of our videos. You can watch mine second. After Ouma's." She revealed.
Kaito blinked.
Maki ignored him and stared pointedly at Kokichi.
Kokichi nodded slowly, accepting her resolve.
"Right. I'll go and get them." Kokichi said.
"I'm coming with you." Maki said.
They went to the elevator, but Kirumi blocked their way.
"I'm leaving." She said.
"Get out of the way." Maki said stormily.
"You're staying." Kokichi stated.
Kirumi bristled.
"Fine." She whispered, walking away and joining the class.
Everyone shuffled away from her. Tenko and Gonta stepped protectively in front of Himiko.
Kirumi ignored them.
"Monokumaaaaa! We need the elevator." Kokichi shouted.
Monodam appeared.
"May I help you?" He said.
"Get the elevator." Kokichi snapped rudely.
Monodam nodded and summoned it.
Kokichi and Maki left.
Kaito watched them go, sighing tiredly.
Sharing the videos was going to be more complicated than he thought it would be.
He smiled. They could get through this.
He had gotten through to Maki. Now, he just needed to get through to Ouma.
Howzat?
The aftermath!
This chapter was easier to work on than last weeks! Enjoy!
As always, please leave a review/follow/fave!