"What a pain…" I muttered as I left my room. I had gotten a dry set of clothes on, and I had finished drying my gloves, as they were my only pair. It didn't take too long, but it still took up some of my time. But now that I'm finally ready to go, I should make the most of my time. So time to look for our resident avocado again. I doubt he'll be in the library this time. Let's see...if I were a lime-green-haired adventurer, where would I spend my time? I took out my Monopad and looked at the map to find him. Hmm… He's in...Ryoma's lab? Really? What, is he a tennis player? Well, he did mention how he traveled the world, so maybe he learned how to play during his travels. I started heading over to the third floor where Ryoma's lab was. When I got there and opened the door, I saw Rantaro doing exactly what you would expect: playing tennis. He was using the large machine that was holding rackets and spinning around to play by himself. He was actually doing better than I thought he was. There was a score board near the court, and so far it was Rantaro's lead with 40-love in the match's 3rd set.
Rantaro threw the ball up into the air and hit it to the other side of the court with his racket, sending it flying to the machine. The machine then smacked the ball back with one of its own rackets, sending it hurdling back to Rantaro. Rantaro rushed up to the ball as it flew over the net and hit it back towards his 'opponent'. This process repeated itself for another minute or two before Rantaro struck the ball over the net, causing it to bounce off the ground and fly past the machine at incredible speeds. The scoreboard then updated itself, with Rantaro winning another set. He took a deep breath as he wiped his arm against his forehead. This was the 3rd set, so he must have been at it for a while. I started clapping as I walked towards him. "That was well done. I didn't know you were also skilled in tennis."
"Oh, Rin. Were you watching?" Rantaro smiled when he saw me. "I used to play tennis back home, so I'm familiar with it. I'm not as good as Ryoma though."
"From just that one round, I'd say you could give him a good match."
"I don't know about that…" Rantaro gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So how come you're playing tennis here? And by yourself too."
"Well, after the commotion of this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to get my mind off things with a fun game of tennis. I asked Ryoma if I could use his lab, and he said I could. I couldn't find anyone who might be interested in playing a game with me, so I started playing by myself."
"You could have asked me. It sounds like fun." I told him as I picked up a racket that was on the ground. "What do you say? Think you take me on?" I asked him with a confident smile. Rantaro returned the smile as he picked up a tennis ball.
"Sounds like fun. Let's get started." Rantaro told me as we set up our own tennis game. I will say this...I am definitely not the Ultimate Tennis Pro like Ryoma is. Our game lasted for a few minutes, but after those few minutes, for our 3 sets of games, Rantaro had won each, practically dominating each set. As our last game ended, I found myself hunched over gasping for air after running around my side of the court for those 3 sets.
"T-Th-This...seemed easier in my head." I gasped.
"Despite what the scoring says, you were pretty good." Rantaro told me with a chuckle. "You seemed to have a good grasp of the game's rules and tactics you could use in the game, but...your stamina wasn't at the same level."
"I couldn't...keep up with what I wanted to do." I groaned as I panted. "I don't think...I've played an active sport like this in a while."
"Well, I think that's enough for now." Rantaro said as he put away the rackets and the tennis ball. "I imagine that you came here for a different reason than playing a friendly game of tennis."
"O-Oh! That's right. I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask me something?"
"Yeah. It's about...that thing you wanted to show me. Have you made a decision about that?" Rantaro put his fingers on his chin as he thought about what I said, before nodding.
"Yeah. After these were handed out," Rantaro said as he pulled a Kubs Pad out of his back pocket. "It's clear to see our situation really hasn't changed. We're still in quite the mess."
"So then you'll tell me?"
"...Yeah. I can trust you, I'm sure." Rantaro nodded as he put away his Kubs Pad. "Let's go somewhere that is a little more private before I show you. Let's head to my room."
"Okay." With that, we left Ryoma's lab and headed down to the dormitories. Once we had made it there, we entered Rantaro's room, which was the same as mine and Kaito's. The only difference from our rooms that I saw was a multitude of notes scattered around on the desk that was in the room. Rantaro seemed to have been working on something before this. Maybe it has something to do with that Survivor Perk of his, if it's real. Once Rantaro closed the door he turned to me and took out his Monopad.
"What I'm about to tell you is a big secret I've been keeping. Before I show you, can you promise me that you won't tell anyone about it?"
"Of course. You're putting your trust in me by sharing this secret, so I won't betray that trust." I told him.
"Thank you. Then, take a look at this." He said as he handed me his Monopad. I took the Monopad and turned it on, only to be greeted by the words I was hoping for.
"Survivor Perk…" I read the screen. I tapped the screen, causing the words to be replaced by an extremely large map. "This is a map of the academy, but...it's much larger. Mine only has the basement and the first 4 floors, with only the areas we can go to being shown. But this one shows 6 floors, as well as rooms that aren't accessible yet." I then noticed a little speech bubble icon in the bottom left. Tapping it revealed the words 'a clue to end the killing game' before a short message revealed itself. "The mastermind who is behind the killing game is hiding somewhere within the academy. Your best chance of exposing them is when Monokuma needs a spare. At that time, the mastermind will go to the library's hidden room. To prove this hint is accurate, I will predict something. The first thing you will remember is the Ultimate Hunt. Only share this information with people who you know you can trust. How you determine that will mean your life or your death. Rantaro Amami." I read outloud. I felt my grip tighten on the device after reading the message. Foresight was right about this, right down to a 'T'. So Foresight still does work. Then what was with the information on the videos? Why was that wrong? I'm curious about that, but right now, I should focus on the Survivor's Perk. "Rantaro, what exactly is this?" I asked him.
"As it says, it's a Survivor Perk. It's something I get for being the Ultimate Survivor, I suppose." Rantaro answered me.
"You suppose?" I repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Well...that's just what I'm assuming at this point." Rantaro sighed. "When I woke up here, I had a normal Monopad and this Survivor Perk Monopad, but I didn't know why I specifically had this perk. It was strange. But then I spoke to you, and you tried to guess my talent. You guessed 'Ultimate Adventurer' and 'Ultimate Survivor'."
"Y-Yeah. I did. I forgot about that."
"That's when everything connected for me. I couldn't remember my talent at all, but when I heard 'Ultimate Adventurer', it clicked for me. I immediately had the feeling that that was what my talent was. It just made sense. But with 'Ultimate Survivor', it was different. It didn't click with me like the previous talent. It didn't feel right, but at the same time, it would explain why I had this. It does have 'Survivor' on it."
"So...you still don't remember being the Ultimate Survivor, and you don't know why you got this perk?"
"Not at all. I mean, if I think of this as something I get for being this Ultimate Survivor, it makes sense to an extent, but at the same time, why would I get a perk in a killing game for being a survivor? And how did I become the Ultimate Survivor, and what does it mean for me and this killing game?"
"That's a good point. Getting a perk from someone else isn't really a talent like your adventurer talent and the other's talents." I nodded.
"Exactly. It's definitely strange." Rantaro agreed. "To be honest, there were a lot of suspicious things with this 'perk' of mine. I almost didn't trust it at all. But...I didn't really have a choice. It was the only thing I had to go on at the time." He then sighed as I handed the device back to him. "But now that the trial is over, I can't help but think about what you suggested. That I was being lured to the library so that I would fall into Kaede's trap. This Survivor Perk showed me that there was a hidden room in the library, but it doesn't show any of the hidden passages that are around the school, or the one in the girl's bathroom on the 1st floor. That means that I was probably given this to make it so that I would die in Kaede's trap, like you said back then. I was fooled, and I almost died because of it." Rantaro sat down in one of the chairs in his room and gave a solemn expression. "I shouldn't have trusted this information at all."
"I'm not sure about that." I responded. "I mean, the message that was on it seemed like it truly was written by you."
"Huh?"
"Well, it sort of sounds like something you would write for yourself. I might have written something similar if it were me. The message also is reliable, as the Ultimate Hunt was the first thing everyone remembered. And the strangest thing of all of this is how you got this perk before the killing game officially started. That was days before Kaede started planning to kill the mastermind. There's no way anyone could have figured out what she was going to do before she even did, not even the mastermind. So this must have really been left behind by you for you." Rantaro thought about what I said before his expression lightened up a little.
"You do have a point about that. If I had gotten this perk after Kaede started setting up her trap, then it would make sense if this was something to lure me into the trap, but I got it days before that. But then why do I have this, and for what purpose?"
"This device also completely confirms things for you that the others didn't have. It outright confirms the presence of the mastermind and gives you extremely valuable information. I don't see why the mastermind would want to risk you having this in case you survived, because if you did, you would have all this information. You'd be a threat to the mastermind. Well, I guess that doesn't matter now if Tsumugi really was the real mastermind of the game." I sighed. "It is strange how the hidden passages weren't revealed to you though, especially considering the map seems to show everything else."
"Perhaps that was too much information for the perk to reveal, even as a Survivor Perk." Rantaro suggested. "The Perk told me there was a mastermind, but not who it was. It gives me information, but it's vague. It's a message from me before I got my memories wiped, so I suppose it makes sense that I wouldn't know about the mastermind stuff, right? But then how did I know about the rest of the academy?"
"Hmm…This Perk is giving us a lot more questions than answers. Just what is it, really?" I began to ponder. "Remember what Monokuma called the first motive? He called it the First Blood Perk. Another 'Perk' in this game. He really is treating this like it's some sort of game show. A perk being used as a reward, and a special participant getting a perk of his own. Makes me wonder even more about what this killing game really is."
"There are a lot of strange things about it. I still find it hard to wrap my head around it." Rantaro then gave a chuckle. "You know, I never thought I would be discussing this with someone else. I thought I'd have to figure all this stuff out when we first got here. I was so confused, and it was difficult to trust someone. Anyone."
"Rantaro…"
"I was honestly terrified at what might happen, but I still wanted to do my best to get everyone out of here. When I asked you about the Ultimate Hunt, and you gave an actual answer that showed that it was real in even a small form, my resolve strengthened. But then…all of that stuff happened. After the trial, I was still worried I might have to solve everything alone, even more so now that things had taken such a sudden turn for the worse. But then, you gave that speech this morning."
"Speech?"
"'Belief without doubt is a lie you're telling yourself'. That speech." Rantaro clarified. "The things you said helped me change my mind. You mentioned how a single person wouldn't be able to solve this, and that we would have to take the hard path and trust each other, even if just a little. It was really inspiring and eye opening. You were right after all. When I tried to do everything by myself, I was almost killed. So, I'm happy I decided to trust you with this. It really is nice to talk about it with someone." I found myself smiling, but his words were also a little embarrassing.
"I'm glad that I could help, but I don't know if what I said was as powerful as what you make it out to be. I mean, no one agreed with my plan after all." I said while hiding a slight blush.
"Openly, anyway." Rantaro said. "When you were talking about your plan, and what you thought we should do, I was in awe. You have a way with words. You didn't really have a chance before, but now I see that you're pretty charismatic. You sounded like how Kaede was on our first day."
"I...was like that? But Kaede was so confident and so sure then. She was a natural leader. She still is a natural leader. I don't think I could ever compare, even if I'm older than her." I responded.
"I think you just aren't giving yourself enough credit." Rantaro chuckled before giving me a more serious expression. "So, since I've decided to trust you with the information I have, do you think you could answer some of my questions?"
"Sure. I'll answer as best I can. What do you want to know?"
"How did you find out about Kaede's trap, and how did you know I was going to fall prey to it?" I felt my body stiffen at Rantaro's question. Rantaro noticed my slight change in body language as he continued. "It's just really strange. You managed to catch Tsumugi, the so-called mastermind, in a trap, and you managed to save me and Kaede from dying. But how did you know? Not even Shuichi knew about Kaede's trap, and he was with her as she set it up. So how come you found out about it?" I felt sweat form as I wracked my brain for an answer to give him. What should I say to him? I can't just come out and say 'I get visions and knowledge of the future and past that sometimes are right'. And like before with Kaede, I definitely can't come out and cheerfully say 'oh that? I just saw a vision of you with your skull caved in and knew something fishy was going to happen in the library'. I can't tell him that, but his trust in me. Enough to show me the Survivor Perk he got. So, I should respond in kind with my 'perk', at least a little. I took a deep breath before I composed myself and answered.
"If I'm honest, I can't really give you a satisfactory answer to that right now. I'm not sure about it myself. Part of me still doesn't believe it, even after everything, so I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you everything." I began. "But since you put your trust in me, I'll do the same and at least tell you something. The trap that Kaede set, and you falling prey to it...it just popped into my head randomly. As I was investigating, something clicked, and I just knew what was going to happen."
"You just knew?"
"Like I said, it's not a satisfactory answer at all. I know that. I still don't understand how I knew, but it's all I have until I figure out more about it. Once I find out, I'll tell you. I promise." Rantaro raised his eyebrow before he put his hand on his chin and nodded.
"Alright. I already decided to trust you, so I won't pester you about this. You don't sound like you're lying either. So I'll accept that for now."
"Thank you Rantaro."
"So, since we're here and we've both decided on trusting each other, what do you think we should do about the motive now that everyone's decided on ignoring them?" Rantaro asked me.
"I...honestly have no idea. I just have a pit in my stomach that something bad is going to happen if we don't do something." I sighed. "If I could just learn more about who has which videos then maybe I could do something."
"Then maybe I can at least help with that." Rantaro said as he took out his Kubs Pad. "I got Kaito's video. It was about his grandparents."
"Kaito's, huh…" I mumbled. "So Gonta has Kaede's, you have Kaito's, and Kaito…" I trailed off as I began to think. I'm glad that Rantaro told me that. That actually is another one that Foresight got wrong. At this rate, I don't think I can trust Foresight with who has which videos at all. Maybe I should try using it to figure out what everyone's video shows. That might help. Hey Foresight! What does Kaede's video contain?
...Nothing? Really? Well that's disappointing.
"You know which video Kaito got?" Rantaro asked me, bringing me out of my train of thought.
"O-Oh, yeah. I sort of snatched it out of his hand as he was trying to explain it to me and watched it to understand them more. He has Maki's." Rantaro nodded as he thought about everything.
"That's four videos accounted for if we count yours, none of them with their owners."
"Yes, but this confirms that the videos are more random than some people might think. It's not just you got Kaito's video and he got yours. So we can't assume that someone has someone else's without proof."
"Then I suppose we should go and get proof." Rantaro said as he got up from his chair. "We should do our best to figure out who has which videos. Once we know more, then we can make a plan, right?"
"Yeah. That's all we can do." I nodded. "But where should we start, and how would we go about it? We can't just ask someone which video they got."
"I think we should start by talking to the people who weren't as vocal about disagreeing with the plan you had."
"That was...Shuichi, Tenko, and Ryoma. They didn't agree or disagree. They stayed silent for the most part."
"Right. Those three didn't really give their opinion on it. Perhaps they wanted to agree, but felt like they might get bogged down by how the others were disagreeing, or perhaps they had a different reason for not speaking their opinion. If that's the case, then maybe we can get them on our side."
"Maybe. But it might backfire too. If we mess up, they might be more wary of us, or perhaps we'll pressure them into doing something rash."
"Still, it's best if we try to talk to them about it. The same goes for Kokichi. He and Ryoma were the only ones who were vocal about wanting to swap the videos back to their owners. I understand why Ryoma wants that, but Kokichi's motive is still throwing me for a loop."
"True. Kokichi was acting a little odd. He's childish and mischievous, that's for sure, but this whole 'the killing game is fun' act...I'm not really buying it. Sure he lies a lot, but so does everyone if we're being honest. He's just open about it, which is actually reliving in it's own way. He's a good guy I'm sure, but when he does stuff like this, I can't help but become confused."
"I'm not getting any malicious intent from him either. Still, he must have a reason for wanting us to swap, so we need to figure that out as well. Who knows, maybe he's trying to do something similar to us." Rantaro then took out his second Monopad and turned on the map. "The map says that both Kokichi and Ryoma are in the kitchen, Shuichi is in the courtyard, and Tenko is in the gym. I'll go talk to Kokichi and Ryoma, so that means that Shuichi and Tenko are yours." I felt myself shiver when he said that.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I think I can handle Shuichi, but Tenko is...Tenko. You know how she is around guys. Do you really think she'll even talk to me?"
"That is true, but from what I see, I think Tenko is just under a deep misunderstanding when it comes to men. She actually can be compassionate to guys if the situation is right. Besides, if I went to talk to her, she might get the wrong idea, since people seem to think I'm some sort of playboy."
"Hmm... I do remember Tenko being surprisingly cordial to me in our few interactions we've had up to this point. Not sure it'll be the same now, though." I chuckled nervously. "But if I get thrown, I'm blaming you."
"Fair enough." Rantaro laughed. "I guess we should get started then."
"Yeah. Let's go and hope we make progress." With a nod, Rantaro and I left his room and headed off to talk to our targets. It's strange, but I guess this means Rantaro and I are sort of a team right now. Huh...this is different from a few days ago, when I was alone. I couldn't help but give a dry chuckle at that thought. I was riding by the seat of my pants back then. I was so confused and scared, and yet I still did my best without any help. I was just like Rantaro. I was just lucky enough to have a few people around me that cared and trusted me a little. If...If I had given Kirumi the same level of trust that I'm giving Rantaro right now, or the same level he's giving me right now, would she be…? "...Stop it. You shouldn't be thinking like that." I muttered to myself as I pulled at the metal hoop on my glove. "Don't live in regret. Don't get stuck in the past. She...wouldn't want that. She would want me to keep moving. To help everyone. So don't doubt yourself. Not right now at least." I took a deep breath and continued walking, doing my best to leave those thoughts behind.
I walked around the courtyard for a bit before I found Shuichi sitting on one of the benches. He was just sitting there by himself while deep in thought. He looks worried. Well, more worried than he usually does. The motive must be getting to him a little. "Hey, Shuichi. You okay?" I asked him as I walked over. Shuichi lifted his head to me and forced a small smile.
"Rin. Y-Yeah. I'm fine." He told me. Lie. That was obviously a lie.
"Shuichi, it's okay to feel worried or scared. If you weren't feeling those emotions, I might be even more concerned for you." I told him. "Mind if I sit down here?"
"G-Go ahead." He replied. I nodded and sat down next to him. After a few moments of silence, I spoke again.
"I never thanked you for what you did, did I?" I asked.
"For what?"
"For stepping up when Tsumugi said all that stuff at the class trial." I clarified. "She had completely overwhelmed me, even though I had her cornered. I wasn't able to keep pressuring her, but you stepped up for me and helped prove to everyone that she was the culprit. So thank you."
"O-Oh no, it was nothing." Shuichi said he moved his hands in a dismissive manner. "I didn't really do a whole lot. You were the one who set up that entire plan to uncover her. And you were the one who found the hidden passage in the girl's bathroom."
"Still, you did a lot in that trial, so it's only right if I thank you at the very least." That's when I thought about what he said before my eyes widened. "Wait a minute! I never even saw if that hidden passage was really there!" I shouted as I slammed my fist into my open hand at my epiphany. "I only assumed based on surrounding evidence, but I never actually saw it. How could I forget that! We all should investigate that passageway as soon as we can. It leads to the hidden room in the library after all. It probably is some sort of headquarters for the Mastermind, or at least Tsumugi, so there's bound to be useful clues in there."
"About that…" Shuichi began. "Kaede and I already had that thought, so we went to check out the passage ourselves. It was there in the storage room, just as you said. The wall opened up and led downwards, but halfway through the tunnel, there was a huge metal wall blocking our way. There wasn't any sort of level, switch, or button around anywhere to allow us to raise it."
"What!? You've got to be kidding me!" I shouted. "Monokuma must have blocked the path, knowing we would investigate it." I sighed as I put my arms behind my head. "So much for that. Guess we'll have to make due without whatever might be in that hidden room."
"I suppose." Shuichi nodded softly. I looked at him again before returning my gaze to the courtyard. I thought about what I should say next, and that's when I realized there was something I wanted to say to Shuichi. Kiyo's words from yesterday had reappeared in my head, and I knew what I wanted to tell him.
"...Y'know, I really admire you, for what you did during the trial." I told him.
"You don't have to, really. I didn't do much compared to-"
"I'm not talking about after Tsumugi started cosplaying." I interrupted. "I'm talking about when you revealed what Kaede did to everyone." Shuichi stopped when I said that and started pulling his bangs down to cover his eyes.
"I...was just doing what Kaede asked of me."
"But you still revealed the truth. That scary truth even I didn't want the others to know. That truth...was horrible. It was the first truly despairing truth I saw in this place. It...really did scare me. And I'm sure, more than me, more than anyone, it scared you." I felt my hand tighten into a fist as I continued, now staring at my gloved hands as I spoke. "The two of us never really spoke or hung out before this, but I knew after yesterday, when the two of us were walking around the academy, that you had changed. You aren't holding your head down as you walk, nor are you protecting yourself with that hat. You've decided to face the truth headon, as best you can. You're doing something most people can only dream of: moving on and growing. It might be hard for you at first, but from what I've seen, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."
"Rin…"
"To be honest, I don't think I could ever do what you're doing right now." I admitted to him. "That feeling of being scared of the truth...I'm pretty sure everyone's felt that at least once. There's always a truth that's not necessarily good, and one day we have to face it. That doesn't mean it's any less scary. Those words Tsumugi said, those people she cosplayed as, and...what I remembered as a result, it's all so confusing to me. And scary. And then there's your plan, which was so much better than mine."
"What? Rin, you can't actually mean that? It's only because of your plan we proved that Tsumugi was the mastermind and the one who killed Kirumi."
"Yet your plan was the better thought out one." I told him. "At least your plan was based on evidence that you had, without too many assumptions. It was safe. Mine on the other hand was full of risks and assumptions. That's all my plan was: assumptions. I risked my life and the lives of everyone else just on a hunch. It shouldn't matter that I was right in the end, it was still bad in hindsight. What if I was wrong and there were no hidden passages? What if I had actually died, leaving Kaede as the blackened or at least framed as the blackened? So many things could have gone wrong with my plan that it would have caused many more issues."
"But Rin, those assumptions were what saved us in the end. We survived because of that plan."
"But...it doesn't make any sense." I muttered.
"Doesn't make sense?"
"You, Kaede, Rantaro, and I all found the hidden door, but why was I the only one who made such wild assumptions? I had little to no evidence to support the theories I believed, so why…?"
Hidden passages!? There were hidden passages in this place!?
Looks like it. It was extremely well hidden. No wonder we never found it until now. So this is what she wanted us to find.
Then...that big exit door…there was nothing behind it? It just led to this secret hideout?
Was it just a trick to give us hope? Just a way to lure one of us to our deaths?
Damn it… This is...so horrible...
I felt my head throb. What? What was that? It feels like-Erk!
Is this it?
Yep. Sorry, sir, but this is all we could get our hands on.
That's fine. Even with just this, we'll be able to make quite the difference. Hmm? Is this a map of the newest location?
Yep. It's supposed to be an academy of some kind.
Well that's a throwback. What, are they trying to be nostalgic in referencing the first killing game? It looks like they even have a secret area in the girl's bathroom like before.
Yes, and it looks like it's a passageway that leads to that room in the library this time around, though.
So it does. They never change. How many times have they done this sort of thing?
Will everything work out sir?
Of course. This doesn't change anything. We've seen this sort of trick countless times before, and I've dealt with this trick plenty of times. It won't change anything.
I felt a sharp pain in my head, causing me to grasp it with my hands. This is...just like before, in Ryoma's lab. The same kind of sensation. It's not Foresight. It's more like...remembrance? Is that the right word? Are these...memories? But they don't make any sense. There's no context for them. Just voices and thoughts. But what was said...could that be why I knew? But that still doesn't explain things. "Rin?" I turned to see Shuichi giving me a concerned look. I quickly picked myself back up and took a deep breath, slowly taking in air and letting it go. Ignore that feeling for now, Rin. You have better things to do, and better things to say right now.
"I just wanted to tell you that you were inspiring during that trial. It made me think that you must be an amazing detective. A truly great Ultimate Detective, and I want to help you in any way I can, along with everyone else. Maybe if I keep helping you guys, and if I keep watching you overcome your fears and doubts, then maybe I can learn how to overcome my fear of the truth." Shuichi looked at me for a bit before smiling again, but this smile was gentler and more sincere.
"I'm not as strong as you're making me out to be, but I'll do my best. I know both of us will get stronger. Strong enough to not fear the truth."
"Yeah." I nodded back. "The two of us will definitely overcome it. So that we all can escape. Not even this motive will stop us, right?" Shuichi paused when I said that. He grimaced slightly immediately when I brought up the motive. I'm glad I got to say all that to Shuichi, since I truly meant it, but it was also a good way to naturally bring up the motive. Now that I've brought it up, I can start digging for how he feels about the situation. "Is something wrong, Shuichi? You seemed a little shaken when I brought up the motive." I asked him.
"I-It's nothing." Shuichi tried to tell me, though I wasn't buying it.
"It's obvious to tell that something's on your mind. You can share it with me if you want. Perhaps I can help." Shuichi looked at me with a nervous expression before he took a shaky breath.
"It's just...I'm worried about whoever is on my video. I don't know who my video might show, but I can't help but think about possibilities. When I think about that, I can't help but also think about what might be happening to them."
"That's understandable. I'm sure everyone is thinking about that. I mean, you all got someone else's video, which probably has similar elements to yours, so it's only natural to start fearing the worst." I nodded understandingly. "So does that mean that you want to see your own video?"
"No!" Shuichi immediately shouted, throwing me off guard with his suddenness. "I-I'm sorry for shouting, but that's not it. If I was able to watch my video, then…" Shuichi trailed off as he started to look down with that familiar solemn look.
"So you want to know, but you're worried what might happen once you do know." I summarized. "I thought we just got done talking about how we would face the truth. Is this different from that?"
"Yes. This is a more delicate situation. This is a motive for us to kill, so I don't know how to approach this."
"You just gave yourself the answer, didn't you?" Shuichi turned to me with a confused look after I said that. " You just said that this is a motive for us to kill, so base your thoughts on that. Compare it to the previous motive, and think about how or why Monokuma is using this motive. The first motive, the First Blood Perk and the time limit, was all just a bluff. Even after no one was killed before the time limit ended, he didn't immediately kill us all. He instead let the Mastermind kill someone right after so that the game could keep going. This motive might be the same."
"You think it might just be another bluff?" Shuichi asked.
"It's a possibility, though I can't really confirm it. Even if I had my own video, my video is different from your guys' videos and I don't have any memories that I can compare my video with. However, we should treat these motives like we did with the Flashback light. Anything Monokuma gives us should be taken with a grain of salt. These videos are meant to get us to kill someone, so who's to say that they don't contain lies."
"B-But…" Shuichi began. "If it's just a lie, wouldn't everyone realize that right away once they got their videos? These videos are about people that we know, so if they're making things up, we should be able to figure it out."
"Just because there are some truths in the videos doesn't mean it's void of lies." I responded. "I mean, the kubs told us they know everything about all of us, so they probably know exactly who to threaten or who to make us worried about in order to tip us over the edge." I turned to Shuichi and put my hand on his shoulder. "I know you're worried, and everything I said might be wrong. Still, you can't let it get to you. That's what Monokuma wants." Shuichi still seemed bothered by it, so I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "If it really does bother you, then what do you think we should do? We already talked about it earlier, but I don't think you gave your opinion. Do you have an idea as to what we should do?"
"...I don't really know." Shuichi said. "If we swap videos, then things would get worse and we all would panic. If we do nothing, then we might be letting someone who already has their own video alone to do whatever they want. And if we do what you suggested, then we would be prepared, we might fail and someone might still die. No matter what we do, there's a risk of someone dying. I don't...want that at all." I sighed before responding.
"It's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do that can prevent risk. No matter what we do, there will always be something that will make things harder on us. Even if we can find a way around everything, Monokuma would just add something to the motive, like the time limit he added to go with the First Blood Perk. That's just how it is here. Still, we should do everything we can to minimize risk as best as we can. That way, we're not put into a worst case scenario. That's why I suggested we all watch the videos together, so we can minimize risk. If we ignore the videos and leave them as they are, then what can we do to prevent that same risk?" Shuichi thought about it again before shaking his head.
"Ignoring the videos only has risk if someone got their own video. That's what you believe, right. That someone got their own video?" Shuichi asked me.
"Yes. I believe it's very likely that at least one person got their own video. Perhaps there's even a second, but I don't think it's a high number. Otherwise there might be chaos and multiple deaths at the same time."
"Then I think I have an idea as to what we should do, or at least what I should do." Shuichi said as he stood up.
"And that would be…?"
"If there are a couple of people with their own videos, then I need to focus on finding out who they are." I was confused when Shuichi said that. It was so sudden, but all the doubt he had seemed to vanish and be replaced by urgency.
"What are you talking about? That's insane. Trying to find out who has their own videos is already hard enough, but it'll be even harder if you're trying to do it by yourself. No one would be crazy enough to reveal that they have their own video, and no one is going to tell you which one they have or show you. Everyone already agreed to ignore the videos, so no one is going to help you in that search."
"You don't need to worry about that. It's probably fine, but I should still make sure for myself. I'm sure I can do it. I already have a head start."
"Huh?" That confused me even more. Shuichi then turned to me with a serious expression.
"Thank you, Rin. I'm still not confident in myself, but now I know what I should be doing. Even if I can't do it, I have to at least try. I need to find the truth behind this motive, so that no one has to die. I am considered the Ultimate Detective, so I should start doing some detective work." With that, he left, leaving me alone to process what he just said.
"Wow… I don't think I've seen Shuichi look that determined about something since the trial." I said as I got up from the bench. "I'm not sure if he actually can find out which people got their own videos, especially considering the obstacles in his way, but he's right about being the Ultimate Detective. He probably has a better shot at it than anyone else if they tried themselves." I then sighed as I scratched the back of my head. "Mission failed though. I didn't get anything out of him, but at least I helped him decide how to handle the motive." I then thought about that last thing Shuichi said. "He already has a head start, huh? What could that mean? Does he have a theory about the motives? But what would be the basis for it? Even with the info Rantaro and I shared, we barely have anything to go on." I muttered. "Oh well, he should be fine. I doubt he'll do something stupid. He's one of the smart ones here. I can only wish him luck and continue with my investigation." With that, I started heading over to the gym. I still wasn't ecstatic about this, but it still had to be done. Maybe it won't be so bad? Right…?
When I got to the gym, I saw Tenko training her Aikido skills. I was in awe the moment I saw her training. It was incredible. She didn't have an opponent and was just practicing stances and strikes, but I could tell at a distance how much effort and passion she was putting into each blow and movement. I really don't want to be hit by her now. At least she doesn't seem bothered by the motives like Shuichi was, or at least she isn't showing it right now. Gathering up my courage, I slowly walked towards her and called out to her. "Hey Tenko. How's it go-"
"Ghya!" Tenko screamed before instinctually turning to me in a battle stance. "Don't just pop out of nowhere and scare me like that, you degenerate male! I'm in the middle of training! I can't be distracted by your...your...male-ness!" I held back a sigh at that. Ah Tenko. The self proclaimed enemy of all males. This will be difficult.
"I'm sorry to bother you during your training. I know how important it is to you, but I wanted to talk to you about something." Tenko made a face of disgust when she heard me.
"Why should I listen to anything a degenerate has to say? It probably has to do with something lewd or vulgar about one of the other girls."
"Why would I talk to a girl about that stuff? I'm not Miu." I replied. "It's about the motive. I want to discuss it with you." Tenko froze at that, her disgusted look now an expression of nervousness and slight fear.
"W-We already discussed it though this morning! We agreed to ignore the videos."
"Yes, that's true, but you never agreed or disagreed with the plan I presented, so I wanted to know your opinion on the matter. Is that okay?" Tenko held her arm before she nodded.
"It's fine, but I don't really see a point."
"I'm just curious. I want to know what everyone's opinion on the motive is so that I can best come up with my next plan of action." I told her.
"So you're already planning something, like before." Tenko said as she gave me a neutral glance, as if she was examining me. "You might be a degenerate male, but you're also smart. You did so much in the first trial, and before that as well." Tenko then got back into her stance again. "Very well. I'll allow you to speak to me. But don't blame me if I keep giving you looks of disgust or if I throw you across the gym in response!"
"I'll keep that in mind." I replied nervously. Yeah, I'm definitely making sure that I'm far enough as to not accidentally get yeeted a couple meters away. "So how are you holding up? The motive this time is quite stressful."
"If I'm honest," Tenko began. "I'm completely fine!"
"H-Huh?" I gawked.
"As if I'm going to let something that Monokuma gave us dictate what I do! There's no way I'll kill because of this motive!" Tenko declared. I was stunned. Almost impressed, really.
"I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting that answer. Almost everyone else, myself included, seem to be concerned about it." I told her.
"Well obviously! It's only natural to feel emotions of concern, worry, and fear at times like this!" Tenko replied. "This motive is threatening our loved ones, so of course everyone is afraid and worried! The same goes for me! I might be determined not to let this motive affect me, I'm still worried about the ones I care about outside of this place. I'm worried about it, but I'm not going to let those emotions control me to the extent that I do something stupid. After all, why should I worry when I have other things to focus on, like my Neo Aikido. Instead of worrying and getting nothing done, I'll train myself even harder in case something does happen and I can stop it!"
"Wow. That's a pretty mature way to see it. I always thought that you wore your emotions on your sleeve and that you were impulsive."
"Ha! Of course a male would think that! I've matured from how I used to be, and I used to be a whole lot worse!" Tenko declared.
"Worse?"
"Yes. I've been told I would throw tantrums that were like volcanic eruptions. It got so bad my parents sent me to a temple to learn self control over my emotions."
"It was that bad?"
"Yep. But it ended up being good for me, since that's where I met my master and helped create Neo Aikido while also learning how to not let my emotions explode and control me in extreme ways again."
"I see. So you're actually calmer than how you used to be now?"
"Most certainly. If I were still how I was, I would be freaking out because of the motive and start throwing you across the gym without any reason to!"
"You'd probably do that anyway…" I muttered.
"Since I'm able to control my own actions, I don't need anyone to worry about me. Especially a male!" Tenko told me.
"I'm only worried because you're my friend, Tenko, but I'll trust you. You're one of the people I can't see killing anyway, so I won't worry." I responded. "So then what do you believe we should do? Do you have something different in mind to what we all agreed to?"
"No. I think ignoring the videos is for the best. It's the one with the least risks involved." Tenko told me.
"I see…" I said disappointedly. "Oh well. It makes sense. Well, I'm happy that you're not allowing the motive to bring you down. Your Neo Aikido must be helping you stay focused, and your right about how your skills might help stop a murder if it's happening in front of you."
"See? Now do you see how amazing Neo Aikido is?" She asked me while doing a pose.
"I never thought it wasn't amazing. In fact, when I entered the gym, I was quite taken by it. It was truly incredible to see it in action, even if it was just you training by yourself." Tenko scrunched her face together when I said that.
"I don't like being praised by males," She began while giving me a conflicted expression. "But you're praising Neo Aikido. You actually see how amazing it is, so I'm conflicted on how to respond to this."
"Of course I see how great it is. You're the Ultimate Aikido Master and this is your practice, so of course it's something I'd enjoy watching. Honestly, you could be a martial arts performer. I bet loads of people would enjoy watching your Neo Aikido, and maybe they might want to learn it themselves."
"Y-You really think that?" Tenko asked with a shocked look. "It's the goal of Neo Aikido to spread out, and performing could help get people interested in learning it like you said." Tenko's thoughtful look then turned into a completely flustered one in an instant. "But to be a performer like that, you'd have to be charming or cute. I'm nothing like that."
"What are you talking about? You're definitely charming." I told her. "You're passionate for Aikido, you're energetic, you're honest, and I'm sure many people would think you're cute. And to me, the most charming part about you is your dedication and determination. When you set your mind on something, you do it to the best of your abilities, whether it's the underground passage or wanting to protect people here. I think it's admirable."
"Y-You really think I could be a performer?" Tenko asked me.
"Of course. I think you would be great at it. And knowing you, you'd do your best and easily beat out any other martial arts performers." Tenko gave a small smile at that as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Wow...You've changed my entire view. To be honest, I really admire performers and idols. I've always wanted to be one, so hearing someone say that I can be one makes me happy, even if it's a degenerate telling me that."
"That last part wasn't necessary." I told her. That's when I realized something about what she said. "Oh, is that the reason you stick to Himiko like glue? You admire her for being a performer?" Tenko stiffened when I asked that, now blushing even harder than before.
"Eeehh!? U-Um, well…"
"Wow. Mention Himiko and you turn into a blushing mess." I teased. "Sorry if my question was abrupt or rude. I was just thinking about it and thought I'd ask. You don't have to answer if it's too personal."
"N-No. It's not a secret or anything. You're right. Like I said, I really admire performers. It's sort of a dream of mine to be a cute magical girl like Himiko and perform for people!" Tenko admitted.
"How nice. It sounds like a nice dream." I smiled as I replied. "Still, maybe you should tone down your admiration for Himiko, since you don't want to bother her with constant attention. But to be a performer…" I began to think of the idea for a bit. Could I have been...Was I… No. I don't think I was a performer. Doesn't sound quite right with me. I don't think I have what it takes to be a performer. That was always Asuka's forte. Wait...Asuka? Who…? I shake my head, dismissing the thought. I got better things to do that reminisce if that's what that is. "Anyway, I'm glad we got to talk. This was actually quite nice, and I got to learn a lot more about you. Though I guess it wasn't so enjoyable for you, hanging out with a degenerate male like myself."
"O-Oh it's not like that. I actually...should be thanking you." Tenko said before cringing hard at her own words. "Urg! Be grateful! I don't like giving thanks to any degenerate male…"
"Yeah, I can tell just by looking at you that you're loathing this." I commented as I looked at her deep grimace. "But why are you thanking me? I haven't done anything, have I?"
"Are you playing dumb!? Irresponsible degenerate male! It's like I said, you've changed my entire view on things! You turned my world upside down! You gave me the idea of performing my Aikido in front of crowds, and before that, you made me realize something I didn't want to know!"
"Didn't want to know?" I repeated, racking my brain as to what that could be. "...That you are actually quite charming?"
"Wh-What!? No, not that!" Tenko shouted embarrassedly. "It was what you said about my Master!" I put my hand on my chin before snapping my fingers.
"Oh right! When we met, I asked you about your hatred for men when your master seemed to be a man too. Is that what you mean?"
"Yeah… Well no, not just that…" Tenko began. "After everything that's happened, what with the trial and all, I'm starting to realize that perhaps...not all males are bad people, like Master." Tenko then shuttered horribly. "Argh! It feels wrong to even say that!" She then turned to me with a serious expression after composing herself. "I just wanted to thank you, and tell you that I think you're one of those few good people in the pile of degenerates out there. A lot's happened, but you did so much for us, even putting your life on the line for everyone here, so it only feels right to thank you. I respect you...for now. But that'll go right out the window if you even think of doing anything to the girls!" Tenko then offered me a hand, to which I smiled as I took it.
"Of course. I appreciate it." I told her as I shook her hand. And that was my first mistake. Touching Tenko. Tenko soon realized what was happening as she looked down at her hand, her face slowly turning into one of terror.
"Aaa...aaaa…"
"Tenko?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"
Slam!
"OW! Wh-Why did you throw me!?" I yelled after I was flipped and tossed to the ground roughly.
"You just touched me! You should know better! And right after I said I respected you! I should have known! You're still a filthy degenerate!"
"Touched you!? You offered me your own hand and then threw me! If anything, you touched me!" I screamed angrily.
"Yeah! Which is technically touching me!"
"Wh-What!? What kind of logic is that!?"
"HAAAAAIIIYAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Aaugh!" Tenko proceeded to throw me several more times before I eventually blacked out. I really should have known better. Of course our notorious misandrist wouldn't take kindly to a handshake with a male she herself offered.
