"Kaede, are you ready?" Shuichi asked Kaede. She nodded fervently as she looked at Shuichi. The two of them had just finished setting up the cameras and sensor and were heading back to the classroom next to the basement stairs. Kaede didn't want to show it, but a wave of anxiety suddenly started to overwhelm her as they entered the classroom. It felt like her heart would beat out of her chest at any moment. "Let's keep the door open a little. So we can see anyone going to the basement." Shuichi said.

"Yeah…"

"Ah...Kaede? About the security sensor receiver…" Shuichi said, taking out the receiver from his pocket. It was what they were going to use to find out when the mastermind made their move. When they open the hidden door, the sensor will cause the receiver to go off, altering them when they need to act. Shuichi then handed the receiver to Kaede. "Could you hold on to it, please? I just feel like...you'd be better suited for that than me. Ah, there's a power switch on it. Make sure you don't turn it off by accident."

"No… you hold on to it, Shuichi." Kaede said, handing the receiver back to him. "You're the one who came up with the plan… And… I trust you. Also, Shuichi… You just said I'm better than you at something. Why do you say things like that, anyway?"

"...What?"

"I guess it's good that we have some time left, because I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Talk to me…?"

"It's probably none of my business, but… I think you should be more confident. Especially since the Ultimate Initiative selected you as the Ultimate Detective."

"No, really, I… shouldn't be the Ultimate Detective. I'm not...even a real detective."

"What do you mean?"

"...I didn't even really want to be a detective. My uncle runs a detective business… I would sometimes help out, as an apprentice. It was usually just… cheating couples… background checks… But one day, I came across a murder case, completely by chance… I solved it before the police did. They called me the 'boy detective'. That's when I got scouted by the Ultimate Initiative… Though I only solved one case…"

"Even so, it's still amazing that you solved a murder case. Most people can't do that."

"...I wonder. I wonder if, ah… it was really a good thing I solved that case." Shuichi's hands began to shake as he took a seat, averting his gaze from Kaede's. "The look on his face when we caught him… I can still see it, even now. He stared at me...like he hated me more than anything else in the world. Later, I heard that...he murdered the victim to get revenge for his family. The victim was abusive… They drove the culprit's relative to suicide. People told me...the culprit was right to do what he did. The victim deserved it. But I led the police right to him… Of course he hated me…"

"It's not like you took sides… You uncovered the truth-that's what detectives do, right?"

"Yeah… I uncovered the truth. Which makes it my fault. And I'm still suffering the consequences. Ever since that one...stupid case… I've been so afraid of uncovering the truth." Shuichi then closed his eyes with a grimace. "...I'll never forget those eyes. The hatred… The way they… stared into me…" Shuichi then sighed and turned back to look at Kaede. "Ah, anyway...that's why I have trouble looking people in the eyes sometimes…" So that's why he wears that hat. "...I'm not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth?" Kaede took a seat at the desk in front of Shuichi and gently reached out and held his hand. Shuichi looked at her hands in confusion. "Kaede…?"

"I wish there was a piano here. I would play you a song to help you cheer up! Hmm… a pretty song to play for you… Oh, like 'Clair de Lune' by Debussy! It's a soothing song that calms your heart, like the moon's reflection on water…" Shuichi just stared at her hand, unsure of what to say. "You noticed, huh? Yeah… I'm shaking, too. But… I'd be a mess if you weren't here. I wouldn't have been able to do anything… I would've been so lost. I'm glad you're here with me, Shuichi. With you by my side, I feel like I can stand up to anything. You give me the courage I need to take on the mastermind. So please...be more confident. I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself!" Shuichi was in awe from what she said. He slowly looked up to Kaede and nodded.

"...Okay. I'll try. I don't know if I can, but I'll try…"

"Yup, that's a promise." After letting go of his hand, Kaede quickly changed the subject. "Also, I think you would look way cooler if you didn't wear that hat." Shuichi blushed a bit and tried to cover his face.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"What? I'm serious here. Once we're out of here, I want you to show me what you look like without the hat, okay?" Shuichi just looked down and grabbed his hat a bit, covering his eyes with it. "Geez… I just wanna see everyone smile. I love seeing the expressions people make when they're enjoying themselves. That's why I play piano… to see the smiles on everyone's faces. And that's why we need to expose the mastermind and end this dumb killing game! So we can smile with everyone else!" After their serious talk, they talked about this and that to kill some time. Kaede knew they did all we could...and prepared for whatever happened next. Kaede was nervous, of course… but all she could do was wait for the moment to arrive. As the time limit drew closer and closer…

"Wh-What is this weird music?" Kaede asked when the monitors turned on and began to show disturbing images and played music that was just as disturbing. "Is it coming from that monitor?"

"Maybe it's a warning that we need to start killing. The time limit is almost up…"

"Th-They need to stop screwing with us! How much suffering do they want from us!?"

"Wait, Kaede…" Shuichi interrupted her. "I hear people talking… in the hallway."

"Huh? People talking?" Kaede focused my attention out to the hallway… She could hear a group of boys and girls talking. Kaede tried my best to listen while I peered through the gap of the classroom door. She then saw 8 boys and girls head down the stairs. "Kaito, Gonta, Maki… Tenko, Angie, Himiko, and… Rin and Rantaro, too?" The 8 continued to walk down the stairs. Rin actually turned around and looked both Kaede and Shuichi in the eyes. They immediately moved to prevent him from seeing them, but it seemed like it was too late for that. Rin just smiled at them and waved before following the others down the stairs.

"What's a big group like that planning to do…?" Shuichi asked. Rin and Rantaro were with them, too. Didn't they both say that they would end this game? As she thought of that, another thought came to Kaede.

"It's almost nighttime, right? If they're all heading to the basement right now… could the mastermind be with them, too? Kaito, Gonta, Maki, Tenko, Angie, Himiko, Rin, and Rantaro… One of them is the mastermind?"

"It is unusual...for such a big group to all go to the basement. They're not planning on going to the library, are they? That would be bad… They'll scare off the mastermind from using the bookcase and ruin the plan."

"What?" Kaede exclaimed.

"I'm going to check out the basement!"

"I'll come with you!"

"No! You stay and keep watch, Kaede!" With that, Shuichi dashed out of the classroom.

"Huh? Why am I all alone now…?" Realizing she was alone, all the fear and anxiety Kaede was trying to hide rushed back into her. "Ah, geez!" She couldn't keep still, so she grabbed the broom from the corner of the classroom. She started cleaning for no reason at all. She had to move my body. The anxiety was getting to her, making her more and more nervous and tense. Would the plan work? What if something happened? What if... "Shuichi… Please come back already…" Kaede continued to distract herself with cleaning until Shuichi finally came back.

"...Kaede? Why are you sweeping…?"

"Huh? O-Oh, no reason… Anyway, what about the people down in the basement?"

"Everything is okay. They all went to the Game Room." Kaede raised an eyebrow. The Game Room? Why there? A notification sound came from the monitor as its screen now showed a laughing Monokuma with the words "In 1 hour… EVERYONE DIES" flashed across the screen. "...There's only 1 more hour until the time limit."

"Yeah, it's almost time…" Kaede said, even more nervous now.

"I'm sure that the mastermind will make their move soon. If Monokuma is going to show up when time runs out, the mastermind will go to the library-." Then it happened so suddenly. The receiver started to go off, causing Shuichi and Kaede to shriek a bit. Her heart nearly lept out of her chest as Shuichi took the receiver out of his pocket.

"Sh-Shuichi, the receiver!"

"Someone moved the bookcase! Hurry, Kaede!" Shuichi sprinted out of the classroom with the determination of a true Ultimate Detective.

"W-Wait for me!" Kaede knew what she had to do now. She took off her backpack and pulled out the shot put ball she had wrapped around her spare vest. She looked at the shiny surface of the object she had chosen to be her weapon. She could already feel the guilt piling up. For the past two days, Kaede had been hiding her true intentions from everyone, even Shuichi.

At first, she agreed with Shuichi's plan to capture the mastermind and stop the game that way, but the addition of the time limit changed things. Even if they caught the mastermind, what good would it do if the mastermind just stalled until the time limit expired? If everyone would just die when the time limit expires, then the only way to guarantee escape for everyone was to kill the mastermind. Kill...Murder… The one thing she never wanted to do, and try to keep everyone from doing.

Even if it's a sin, she was prepared to hold that burden for everyone. She set up this elaborate plan for that goal. It was difficult, trying to hide it from Shuichi, but Kaede didn't want anyone to know what kind of horrible act she did once the mastermind is dead. It was a selfish reason to hide it, but she wouldn't be able to look them in the face if they knew. If they hated her for it. She didn't even know if she would still be able to do that if they didn't know.

Sighing, Kaede then opened the vent grate and rolled the shot put ball into it. She gulped. This will work, she thought. It has to. She prayed that it would. After closing the grate, she ran after Shuichi. She could feel my heart beating faster and faster. She was so nervous, and her head felt like it was pounding with every heartbeat. Shuichi was already waiting for her outside the main entrance to the library.

"...Kaede, let's go inside."

"Yeah!" Bracing herself to confront the mastermind, she had balled my hands into fists without realizing it. It'll be fine. Everything will work out. She was still convincing herself when she caught up with Shuichi, who had his hand on the door-.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?" Kaede spun around and saw Kaito, Tenko, and Rantaro walking towards us. Kaito rubbed the back of his head as he looked at us. "Well, never mind. Your timing's perfect. Since you're here, you should join our strategy meeting."

"Kaede is definitely welcome to join!" Tenko said happily, ignoring Shuichi.

"Strategy meeting?" Kaede asked.

"When the time limit hits, we're gonna fight Monokuma! We gotta plan for that battle!" Kaito said confidently. "We thought it'd be harder for Monokuma to get to the basement, so we need to find-." Before he could finish, Rantaro spoke up.

"What are you two even doing here?" Rantaro asked.

"H-Hold on! You three, come with us! The mastermind is in the library!"

"Huh…? Mastermind?" Tenko asked.

"They are!?" Rantaro shouted with a surprised expression. "I knew it! I knew they'd come here!"

"Y-You knew?" Kaede asked.

"We can talk later, but right now, we need you to come with us. We… might really be able to end this killing game." Shuichi stated.

"A-Are you serious!?" Kaito asked.

"I-I don't really understand, but you just need me to Aikido throw whoever's inside, right!?" Tenko asked.

"No, I'll do it! I'll be the one to take them down!" Kaito argued.

"This isn't a competition! I'm gonna open the door right now, okay!?" Kaede said. She walked up to the doors and started to push them open. With the unveiling of the mastermind so close at hand, all her anxiety had disappeared. She ran into the library with the others, and saw someone she never expected to see. There in front of the hidden door, was Rin, a knife in hand. He must have heard them enter, since he turned to look at the group.

"...Hey guys. What's up?" He said in a blank, emotionless tone. The face he was making… Kaede had never seen him look like that. And he was staring right at her. Kaede was shocked, and confused. Is… is Rin the mastermind? But that doesn't make any sense! He knew she and Shuichi were planning something, so why would he come? And why… Why is he alive? Did her plan fail?

"R-Rin!?" Shuichi exclaimed as confusion twisted onto his face. Kaito and Tenko have similar faces of confusion and disbelief as they stare at Rin. Rantaro, however, just gave him a dark glare. It looked like a mixture of confusion, anger, hatred, and betrayal.

"W-Wait! Does that mean that Rin is-?"

"Before I answer any questions you have for me, I just want to ask you all something." Rin cut me off. He went off to the side and grabbed something before turning back to the group and showing them what he had picked up. "I already know who it is, but I just want to make sure. Which one of you tried to kill me?" He asked in a dark tone. The expression he was making was horrifying. It was like he could see right through them. And his words… he knows… The others started to panic as they looked at Rin and the shot put ball he was holding. He then explained how it fell from the top of a bookshelf.

Shuichi turned to Kaede with a look of disbelief. Shuichi must have figured it out. Kaede couldn't even look the two of them in the eye as they both stared at her. What does she even do now? She's broken both their trust in her. She almost killed Rin. Guilt began to crawl up her spine as she stood there motionlessly, and disgust with herself started to overtake her. She almost killed Rin. The reality of the situation sank in once again. How did she arrive at this solution of hers? Was it really what needed to be done? Seeing Rin here now...She began to question it all again. She didn't know what was right or wrong anymore.

She wanted to apologize, but she knew those empty words wouldn't mean anything. Bile came up her throat as she continuously told herself how horrible she was. She's only brought back when she hears Rin say something she couldn't believe. " I forgive them. I won't hold this against them, nor will I hate them for it. I also don't want them to suffer from public persecution. So it's fine. Let's drop it. You all have questions for me, I'm sure. I mean… aside from almost dying, I probably seem incredibly suspicious, right?" Kaede looked up at Rin in disbelief. Why? Why would he forgive her? He should hate her for this! Kaede felt tears threatening to burst through as she spoke.

"Y-You what?" She asked softly.

"You forgive them?" Shuichi parrotted, wanting to make sure he heard Rin correctly.

"B-But-!"

"No buts. It's my decision if I forgive them or not. You guys can't change my mind." Rin cut Tenko off. Rin… you're too kind, Kaede thought. She didn't deserve his forgiveness. Despite what she almost did to him, he was still willing to see her as a friend. Kaede was so relieved. More relieved than she had been in her entire life. Relieved that she had been forgiven, and relieved that her plan failed and she didn't kill her friend. She bowed her head and silently shed a few tears, quickly wiping them away. She made a promise at that moment. I promise… I'll make it up to you. That is what she thought as she watched everything after that unfold.


"No… this can't be happening. I said I was going to end this game. I was going to prevent anyone from dying. You… you told me that you would serve me. You were going to help me see my potential. I promised to hire you after we got out. So why…? Why did you have to die...?" Kaede couldn't do anything as Rin fell apart once again in front of her. He had fallen to his knees and was slumped over, his eyes glazed over with an empty expression. He almost looked dead.

Monokuma had implied that one of them had died, so they had all split up to try to find out if he was lying or not. After searching the academy and returning to the library, they found Kirumi's body, stabbed multiple times and lying against the bookshelf near the hidden door. Rin was the first to see it. Kaede couldn't imagine how he felt right now. From what Kaede knew, Rin and Kirumi were pretty close. Kirumi always seemed worried about Rin, especially after his first panic attack, and Rin always tried to treat her as an equal, not just a maid. For Rin to find her body… he must feel awful. If it were her finding Shuichi's body… Kaede wasn't sure how she'd react.

"It should have been me. it should have been me..." Rin began to mumble those words as he shivered and continued to look blankly at the ground. Rantaro and Shuichi were at a loss for words. They could only look at Kirumi's body and Rin, who was in an empty trance, one that, if Kaede had to guess, was fueled by guilt and sadness. Kaede couldn't let him be alone in this. Not after what she almost did to him. She walked up to him and tried my best to comfort him, even if it was pointless. No one could be fine after seeing this. Kaede stiffened as a thought entered her mind. This is your fault. If you didn't plan to kill someone, Rin wouldn't have been put in danger, and Kirumi wouldn't have died. It's all your fault.

She shivered at the thought. She almost caused this herself. If her plan had worked, and Rin had died, who would have been left heartbroke and distraught at his death? He can't remember anyone outside of this place, but surely he had a family, friends, and a future ahead of him like anyone else. Yet, by Kaede's own self righteousness and pride, she almost brought an end to it. She almost caused all those people outside this place, and those here in the academy, to suffer the loss of him. And even if her plan failed, who knew if it wasn't used against her. Perhaps the culprit used her trap to kill Kirumi.

If that was the case, then it was her fault. She's the one who created a death trap. It had to be her fault. And yet Kaede somehow thinks that she can comfort Rin. Rin, the one she almost killed and the one now suffering from her own actions. There was nothing she could do. There was no hope she could help him. All she could do was remind him of her mistakes. Kaede embraced Rin as she began to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please, forgive me. Please…" She begged in a whisper, unsure if Rin could even hear. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated between sobs. She repeated herself over and over again, wishing so badly she could fix everything.

...But nothing would bring back what they had lost, no matter how much she apologized.