"Whew…" I sighed as I leaned back in my chair. After speaking with Himiko, I returned to my dorm room. The nighttime announcement then played, officially making it nighttime. I suppose that means Keebo and Tenko should be outside preparing to keep watch. It also means it's time to train with Kaito and the others. Can't say I'm not excited for it. I've actually been looking forward to it, now that I've actually done it and realized just how helpful it is, as well as how much fun it is. I readied myself and headed out, immediately seeing Shuichi, Kaede and Maki together near the entrance. Kaito, strangely enough, is missing. Huh? Wonder where he is? That's when I noticed they were talking to Keebo and Tenko.
"What exactly are you two doing, standing near the dormitory's exit together?" Shuichi asked them.
"This is just part of the Student Council's defensive measure to help keep the peace in the academy." Keebo answered him.
"Exactly. We're keeping watch to keep tabs on who goes out and what they're doing." Tenko added.
"You're keeping watch?" Kaede questioned.
"Yes. The council decided that this was for the best for everyone. Kiyo tampered with Miu's body and the scene of the crime at night in his case, so it's best to limit everyone's actions during night."
"Limit everyone's actions? What, are you going to keep us from going out?" Maki asked in a slightly angry voice.
"Nothing like that. We just don't want anyone going out alone at night. We want to keep everyone accountable." I said as I walked over to the group.
"Rin? You're here?" Shuichi asked me.
"Yeah. We're still training, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but we didn't think you were coming." Kaede told me.
"Of course I'd come. I wouldn't miss it." I told them with a smile. "Student Council stuff is over if that's what you were worried about."
"I-I see." Kaede said.
"Speaking of which, where's Kaito? Are you guys waiting for him?"
"He said he wasn't feeling well." Maki told me. "He's resting in his room right now. He told us to train without him."
"Really? He's not feeling well?" I questioned. "I guess he did look pale back at the gym this morning. I hope he feels better soon. Still, that won't stop us, right?"
"R-Right." Shuichi nodded hesitantly, his face a bit confused as he looked at me. That's when I turned to Keebo and Tenko.
"The four of us will be just outside the dorms doing some exercise. We should be fine."
"I see. Make sure you all come back safely." Keebo said.
"We will." I nodded as I led the others to where we trained last time. Without saying anything else, the four of us began training like the previous night.
"...Hey." Maki started talking to me as we each were doing push-ups.
"Yeah?"
"So...how come you're training? You didn't seem to enjoy it too much last night." She asked me.
"Well, I realized what the point of it was. When I discovered that, it sort of made everything less stressful. It gave me an outlet, I guess. Doing this last night, and doing it right now, sort of helps me get rid of any worry and doubt in my mind at the moment. It's a nice feeling." I answered. "It's the same with you guys, right? You all don't have to do this training, but you're still here, even when Kaito isn't."
"Well yeah. That's true." Shuichi nodded. "Overthinking things and worrying about what I 'need' to do… But when I'm with Kaito, I feel like...all of that stuff just fades away. Like I don't have to worry about it."
"Do you guys...look up to that idiot?" Maki asked.
"Ah, I don't know if I'd call it 'looking up' to him…" Shuichi chuckled. "It's just that I've never been around someone so relaxed...and impulsive."
"I feel the same." Kaede nodded. "Kaito just makes it easy to relax or feel confident about yourself. He's a really sweet guy."
"I think everyone needs a person like that in their life. Someone who can pull them back up when they're knocked down. It's a sign of a really good friend, I think." I commented. Maki didn't say anything at that. She soon got up though and started dusting off her skirt like last time.
"100… I'm done." She stated.
"Geez. You're so fast at this." I grumbled.
"Yeah...I'm still at 15." Kaede mumbled.
"I used to be forced to do push-ups until I passed out. 100 push-ups is nothing." Maki told us. I felt a bit angry when I heard that. More cruelty from that cult she works for, no doubt. Disgusting. Maki then brushed her hand through some of her hair as she averted her gaze. "About Kaito… I sort of understand what you all mean. But I'm a bit jealous of how carefree he is...even if he is useless."
"That's a bit mean to Kaito…" I chuckled a whisper.
"I was taught to only value the essentials." Maki continued. "I was forced to abandon anything nonessential so they could mold me as they saw fit. After everything they did to me...I sometimes wonder what I am anymore. I didn't ask to become this way. It just...happened to me." She told us with a downcast look. "After what I've been through...am I still even human? Even Keebo acts more human than me."
"As if. Of course you're human. You're as human as anyone." I grumbled when she said that. "It doesn't matter what happens to you or what you do. You'll always be human at heart. You feel emotions just like we do, and you have goals and aspirations just like the rest of us. If you're not human, then I'm not sure any of us qualify as human. Besides, I think a lot of people have been forced to do things they never wanted to do. I know I have, at least from what I can recall."
"Rin…" Shuichi said before he continued. "I guess...I'm kind of the same way too. I never once wanted to be a detective. I actually thought it wasn't too great a job."
"Really?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah. I mean, uncovering people's secrets for money? It's the worst." Shuichi replied before a smile appeared on his face. "But now, I feel completely different. If it's going to help my friends, I'll do it. It's really everyone here that has helped me see things that way. Especially…" He said, stealing a glance at Kaede and I as he said that. I couldn't help but smile when I heard Shuichi say that.
"Yeah. I'm the same way. It's all worth it in the end if it helps my friends." I nodded. Kaede smiled too when she heard me say that.
"I can't say I can relate. I've been living towards my goals and dreams my entire life, but I can understand the feeling of doing something for the people you care about. And of course, you all are my friends too, so that means I've gotta do everything I can to help you all with this too!"
"Haha! Of course. You're always so reliable, Kaede." I chuckled. Maki just stared at us before she turned away.
"I...didn't ask to hear any of your stories." She muttered as she started to leave.
"You say that, but we're still friends regardless." I told her. "We'll see you tomorrow." She didn't reply and kept walking. It was expected, but I bet she still sees us as her friends, even if she acts cold to us. That's just the impression I get after talking to her these past few days. She's opening up more and more. I guess these training sessions are helping with that. "Let's get back to doing our own push-ups." I said.
"Right!" Kaede nodded excitedly, causing Shuichi to give a slight chuckle. So we continued to do push-ups. As we finished up our training, Kaede asked me something. "So Rin, have you remembered anything else yet?"
"Well, sort of." I told her as I did my last push-up. "Honestly, I sort of wanted to talk to you guys about it tonight."
"Really?" Kaede asked in a surprised voice.
"Is that really something to be shocked about?" I replied nervously as I got up.
"Well, you usually don't want to talk about that stuff." Kaede pointed out.
"True, but after last time, I think at least talking about it a bit with someone would make me feel a lot better about it. Especially with you two, since I'm more comfortable with you guys than some of the others."
"Really?" Shuichi asked me.
"Yeah. I trust you guys a lot." I nodded.
"When you say 'feel better', does that mean you remembered bad stuff again?" Kaede asked as she and Shuichi did the last of their push-ups.
"Less so bad, more so sad." I answered. "It's funny. The more I recall, the more I realize I have more sad memories than happy ones. I just keep remembering things that make me sad, even when I don't know why they do. Like, I remember a few old friends I used to know earlier. They were people I knew for a long time, but...recalling them made me sad for some reason. It gave me a sense of heartache. That's been happening a lot. I can't tell if it's a heartache caused by forgetting about them in the first place or something else." I sighed after that. "It's nice remembering who I am, but I wish I didn't have to go through this in the first place. Having no memories and then suddenly getting them back makes me feel like I'm a different person who's just gaining another person's memories that have no relation to me. They feel foreign, if that makes sense. The emotions and experiences tied with each puzzle piece I get back don't feel like they belong to me. Perhaps that's just because I don't have the bigger picture yet, but still." I groaned.
"..." Kaede didn't seem to know what to say, and that seemed to bother her. I chuckled a bit before resting a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to think too hard about it. There isn't any real solution to this until I get all my memories back. Just talking to someone about it helps." That seemed to lift her spirits a bit when she heard that, getting her to smile a little. Her smile definitely makes me feel better when I'm plagued by doubt, worry, and sadness.
"...Is what you're remembering what drove you to join the Student Council?" Shuichi eventually asked me.
"Hm? Well, I guess. I just felt like it was the best way to help protect everyone after what's already happened here. My memories might have helped me come to that conclusion, but they weren't the main motivation. Why do you ask?"
"Ah...well, I just thought it was strange how you joined the council too when we were talking about it this morning. " He told me. "But...are you actually planning to revive someone?" He asked me that with a serious expression, so I gave him one in return as well.
"Yes. I believe that it's for the best."
"Is keeping council members as guards at nighttime also for the best?" He asked me.
"All of us on the council agreed it would be the smart thing to do." I replied. I sighed before continuing. "Look, I know you're worried about the council and what we're up to, but we're not going to do something bad or stupid. We just want to protect everyone and ensure that no one dies."
"Even when Angie wants us to live here together?" Shuichi questioned, though his voice was still professional and calm.
"I don't agree with Angie with that. I want us all to escape." I told him. "But until we find a way to do that, we have to stay here, so we need to do what we can to make this place safe for everyone until then."
"...I see. Thank you for answering my questions. I'm sorry if I sounded suspicious of you or rude."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, and you weren't being rude." I told him. "It's understandable that you're concerned about the council too, but as I said, I'll make sure no one does anything rash or stupid. They made me their president, so that means I'll take responsibility for them."
"You sound like Kaito when you say that." Kaede noted.
"Do I? Not sure I'm confident enough to be compared to him." I gave a nervous laugh.
"...I still don't agree with you doing the ritual. I think it's best that we don't use it." Shuichi told me. "And a lot of the others share that opinion."
"And that's fair, but that won't stop me from doing what I think is right." I answered him calmly. "You guys are my entire world right now. I don't have anything substantial other than you all, so I have to protect you with everything I have. If that means doing something you guys don't necessarily like, then so be it. I hope you can understand that." That's when I gave a long yawn. "Man, I'm beat. Today's been a long day. I think we should head back now. We're all done with our push-ups, yeah?"
"Y-Yeah." Shuichi nodded hesitantly.
"Then let's head back. I'll see you guys in the morning at breakfast." I said as I walked with them back to the dorms. Keebo and Tenko were still on guard as they saw us enter. Keebo gave me a thumbs up, probably letting me know that everyone is here and there's nothing to worry about. I returned the gesture as I entered my room and immediately saw the photo I gave the cubs on my desk. I'm glad they finished it today. I can show the others it tomorrow. After putting the picture away for tomorrow, I fell onto my bed. That's when I thought about my notes that were in my desk's drawer. I should probably work more on that. But I'm tired, and I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day. The ritual is happening tomorrow, after all. I wonder...who is going to be brought back? Well, that's if the ritual works. It won't work...but just maybe. Maybe...I'll get to see one of my friends again. I shook the thought out of my head. I can't let delusions cloud my mind right now. Even if I'm tired, I need to keep working. For everyone's sake. I got up from my bed and sat back down on my desk. I took out my notes and looked at them. No rest for the wicked, huh? Yeah...that definitely applies here…
Ding dong bing bong.
My eyes began to open as the all too familiar chime played loudly in my room. I moved my head up from my desk and started rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I fell asleep at my desk again. When did I fall asleep last night? Late, that's for sure. That's when I realized it was strangely quiet despite the morning announcement starting. I looked at the monitor, only to see the still-dazed Monokuma in the middle of the screen, not saying anything before the announcement ended. The nighttime announcement was like that too last night. Creepy, but not like it matters. "Welp, it's still the start of a new day. Gotta make the most of it." I told myself as I got up and got ready. "Perfect. Dawn of the new day, here I come!" With that, I left my dorm room, trying to get a bit more energy than I usually have. Even if I didn't get a restful night with proper sleep, I still have to be ready for today. Huh...sleep has become something like a rare privilege instead of something I need to do. After spending more than a week here, I can safely say that I either was an insomniac before this, or I just had an extremely poor sleeping schedule, either one being just as plausible. I'm betting on both. Sigh…
I walked to the dining hall, prepared to make the most of the day, but when I entered, I was greeted by many angry voices. The entire room had been split in two, with one side being where the student council members were, while the other side was where the others were. "Q-Quit messing around! Don't just do whatever you want!" Kaito yelled in an angry voice.
"Hmmm? But we have Atua's blessings, and we all agreed it was for the best." Angie said in an innocent voice.
"Yeah! We have Atua's blessings, as well as the president's blessing! I'll throw out any degenerate who won't shut up about it!" Tenko shouted, though it seemed a bit strained.
"I didn't really care about what you 'student council' did before, and I even thought that you might do some good." Rantaro began before he made a miffed expression. "But I think it's fair to say you're starting to go a bit too far."
"As we've said before, this is all to end the killing game and keep the peace." Keebo explained. Wait, what's going on!? Why are they fighting!?
"Oh! Rinny's here! He's the president, so we can ask him about this!" Kokichi shouted when he saw me. That's when everyone's head snapped towards me with lightning speed. I don't think I've been this intimidated by everyone before. I felt the confidence and energy I had tried to build up fade almost immediately when I was placed under their gazes. Yeah...this is going to be a long day.
"Umm… I'm sorry, but what's going on?" I asked. "Why is everyone fighting?"
"Your student council did something unbelievable. They blocked the manhole that leads to the underground!" Kaito told me.
"I was in the boiler room today, and that's when I saw it. Gonta covered the manhole with heavy rocks, making it impossible for anyone else to enter the tunnel." Rantaro explained. He was in the boiler room this morning? Why would he…? That's when an idea came to mind. The 'horse a' message was updated, so perhaps the 'twins b' message changed to? I completely forgot about that, so I haven't checked myself. I'll have to ask about that.
"Wait, that's what you guys are upset about?" I asked in a confused voice.
"Wait, you knew about that!?" Kaede shouted.
"Y-Yeah?" I nodded nervously. "I...didn't think you guys would be this upset about it."
"Wh-Why would you do this though? It sounds like this was something you agreed to." Shuichi asked me.
"Cuz the manhole is a reminder of our desire to leave this place." Angie said. "We don't want another tragedy to happen again, like what happened in the library those first few days here."
"You said it, Angie! We need to forget all about that underground tunnel and start fresh!" Tenko said, again, in a slightly forced voice. She's dedicated to Himiko, that's for sure. I can tell she hates each word she's saying.
"Is that why you agreed to cover the manhole, Rin?" Ryoma asked me.
"Well...that's Angie's opinion on the matter." I said. "The reason why I agreed to it was because I was worried that someone might get gravely injured from attempting the tunnel." That's when I looked at the others with a tilted head. "Why are you guys so upset about that anyway? From what I know, I don't think any of us even attempted the tunnel after that first day. So what does it matter if it's blocked or not?"
"You guys are just doing whatever you want without even asking our opinion!" Kaito shouted. "It doesn't matter if we haven't attempted it in a while! You still should have come to us before you did it!"
"And there's always the chance that someone could reach the end if they did attempt it, even if it is a low chance of that happening." Rantaro said. "Blocking the tunnel from any use prevents that slight possibility entirely."
"Oh, if that's what you're worried about, I attempted the tunnel yesterday myself before Gonta covered the entrance and I got to the end." I told them. The faces everyone made when I said that was something I had been looking forward to, and they did not disappoint.
"WH-WHAAAAAAT!?" Everyone, excluding only Gonta, screamed.
"You made it to the exit!?" Kaede yelled.
"And you still had Gonta block the entrance?" Maki questioned.
"Does that mean there isn't actually an exit down there?" Himiko asked.
"Hold on. More importantly, how did you even get to the end of that? We all attempted the tunnel that first day here, and none of us even got close." Ryoma pointed out. "So how did you do it by yourself just now?"
"O-Oh that?" I began in a nervous voice. "Umm...trade secret."
"Trade secret?" Maki repeated in an angry voice.
"W-Well, forget that for now. What matters is that I got to the end, and there is an exit." I told them. "But don't get too excited. There's a caveat to that."
"Caveat?" Shuichi asked.
"It would be easier to show you all instead of just explaining it." I answered as I took out my photo and showed them all. "You see? There is an exit, but it's locked and surging with electricity. The only way to open it up is with a keycard."
"A keycard?" Kokichi asked in a surprised voice.
"Yep. As you can see in the photo, there's a card scanner near the door. There wasn't anything I could do since none of us had even seen a keycard anywhere in the academy. I figured it was best to block the tunnel until we do find the keycard, though we might not find it anywhere. For all we know, the door's a fake and goes nowhere, but still." I said as I put away the photo.
"So you'll open the tunnel back up when a keycard gets found?" Angie asked me.
"Sure, but I'm starting to think we won't ever find that keycard." I sighed.
"What do you mean?" Gonta asked.
"Think about it. If a keycard is needed to leave, who do you think has it?" I asked. Everyone's face dropped when I asked that.
"It would be...Monokuma or the mastermind." Shuichi answered in a horrified tone.
"That's right. One of those two would have it. But Monokuma would never give us the keycard if it meant escape, and we don't even know if the real mastermind is here with us in the academy. Even worse, if Tsumugi was the real mastermind like she claimed, then she took the location of the keycard with her to the grave. The possibility of us escaping using the tunnel right now seems…"
"Hopeless." Rantaro finished, his annoyance now dying down as he realized why I did what I did.
"S-Still! What matters the most is you guys deciding things for us!" Kaito shouted, bringing us back to the original topic. "So what if we can't escape with the tunnel? It's the principle of what you did that pisses me off!"
"It's important to hear everyone's opinion, yes, but we would never get anything done if we tried to please everyone." Angie said. "But if the student council, then we're sure to make the right decision! We have Atua on our side, and everyone on the council wants to stop the killing game!"
"That's true. Trying to please everyone is impossible, just like how we acknowledge that what we're doing might not stop a murder from happening. However, we are still determine to make it next to impossible for anyone to commit the heinous act of murder with us around." Keebo said with confidence.
"Keebo, thank you for your fantastic speech. I was truly moved by it." Angie said as she walked over to Keebo and gave him a hug, like how she did for Gonta and Himiko. "Hmmmmm…"
"H-Huh?" Keebo made a confused sound before Angie continued.
"Thank you for always supporting me and everyone else on the student council. You always try your best, even when others see you as strange or different due to your special traits. Atua smiles on you for such great dedication and service, as well as overcoming the boundaries of humans and robots." After she let go, Keebo seemed to light up even more.
"Th-Thank you Angie! I'll continue doing my best for everyone here. You all are my friends, after all. I need to do my best to help the council protect everyone!" Keebo exclaimed. Geez, Angie's hugs must be one hell of a hug to make someone so happy so quickly.
"...Cults like these can be really annoying if you get on their bad side." Kokichi sighed.
"We're not a cult." I shot back, angrier than I was the first time I said it yesterday.
"But you guys are doing other things to try to control our actions, aren't you?" Maki brought up. "You guys are keeping an eye on who's out at night, and you won't let anyone go out alone."
"Wait, really?" Ryoma asked in a surprised voice.
"That's right. It's not good if your life is in such disarray. If that happens, your mind and body will be in disarray too." Angie sighed. "So we have decided! We need to limit what everyone can do at nighttime!"
"What!?" Kaito shouted.
"As long as everyone still wants to leave, we just can't allow unsupervised activity at nighttime for anyone." Angie explained.
"What about you, Rin? How come you agreed to this?" Rantaro asked me.
"..." I thought about how I should go about explaining my reasoning before sighing. "A lot of Kiyo's actions he made to cover up his crime happened during nighttime, didn't it?"
"Huh?"
"If we had known who was walking around during nighttime, we would have caught him sooner. Also, Kiyo mentioned how his original plan was to set up a trap at night. If we had ways to make it harder to set a trap like that at night, maybe he wouldn't have even attempted a murder. Perhaps he and Miu would still be alive. So...this is the best way to try to prevent something like that from happening again."
"Nyahaha! That's right! That's what everyone on the student council thinks too!" Angie added. Kaito rubbed his hand against his chin as he grimaced.
"D-Don't be stupid! Are you telling me to just stay here and do nothing!? Like hell I will! I haven't even gone to space yet!" He yelled. I couldn't help but make an angry face when I heard that, a feeling of resentment building up when I heard him say that.
"It's mentalities like that that get some people killed or murdered! You can't always get what you want! Sometimes, dreams or aspirations are impossible!" I shouted. "I've already…" I tightened my hands before I continued. "I won't let it happen again! There's nothing any of you can say to deter me!" My words seemed to shock the others, but before any of them could respond-
"Rise and Shine Ursine!" The Monokubs suddenly shouted as they barged into the dining hall, interrupting our conversation.
"...ARE-YOU-ALL-FIGHTING?" Monodam asked us.
"I-I don't think so! I think that maybe they're not actually fighting!" Monotaro tried to quell Monodam's slight anger.
"Y-Yeah! And even if they were fighting, it looks like a friendly one!" Monophanie added.
"...What do you guys want?" I asked in a still miffed tone.
"WE...WANT-YOU-TO-GET-EVEN-CLOSER-WITH-EACH-OTHER…" Monotaro told us before taking out a flashback light. "SO, WE-BROUGHT-THIS…"
"A flashback light!?" Shuichi exclaimed.
"It's part of our 'Use the Flashback Light to restore a new memory and become better friends by talking about it with each other' plan!" Monophanie explained.
"Wow, I've suffered way too many blows to the head to remember a plan name that long!" Monotaro exclaimed. A flashback light, huh? I still have my own reservations, but the others seemed to be right about them so far. They haven't done anything bad yet, even if they're highly suspect. I also don't want to be a hypocrite with what I'm doing with the Necronomicon, so I suppose we should-
"Ah, let me see that." Angie told Monodam, a bit of fear and urgency in her voice. Wait...what is she-
"AH-!" Without waiting for Monodam to give her the flashback light, Angie snatched it from him and raised it high into the air. Wait…!
"Angie! Don't-!"
CRASH!
But it was too late. Angie threw the flashback light on the ground and stomped on it relentlessly, destroying it thoroughly. "AH...AHHHHHHHHH!" Monodam gasped as he watched the flashback light be crushed to pieces.
"Nyaha! The student council has decided that we will not use the flashback lights anymore!" Angie shouted.
"What!?" I shouted. When was that decided!?
"Wh-Why!?" Monotaro shouted in confusion.
"Because the flashback lights only restore our memories of the outside world. But we don't need those memories anymore. We realize now that we don't belong in the outside world. We belong here, at the Ultimate Academy." Angie explained. "Besides, our president Rin has already explained the dangers surrounding the lights, so it's probably for the best that we destroy them from now on." She's using ME as an excuse for this!?
"O-Oh no… If you don't use the flashback light, our plan is a bust…" Monophanie cried out.
"Wh-What are we gonna do, Monodam!?" Monotaro asked his brother.
"..." Monodam only whimpered a bit before leaving quickly.
"Hey! He ran away!" Monotaro shouted.
"Heyyyyy Monodaaaaaam! Waaaait!" Monophanie shouted as she and Monotaro followed after Monodam.
"Nyahahaha! Bye-onara!" Angie waved goodbye to the cubs.
"A-Angie...what are you doing!?" Shuichi shouted.
"We could have remembered something about the Ultimate Hunt, about that funeral, or something new!" Ryoma said with a furious expression.
"There's no reason to remember all that. We're not returning to the outside world." Angie said with a pure, innocent smile. "Rin agrees too, right-?" Before she finished, she turned to me, only to see me with my own angry expression. "Huh?"
"I can't be too upset, as this is partially my fault. I should have made my position clear on the flashback lights." I muttered in slight annoyance. "But still, what were you thinking? Destroying the flashback light so suddenly. I was certainly taken aback."
"You mean you didn't want that to happen?" Kaede asked me.
"No. Before I was suspicious of the flashback lights, but after the last flashback light and talking to you guys, I figured that you all were probably right and we should keep using the flashback lights until I can find something more substantial to prove they're a threat. After all, we're doing the same with the Necronomicon, so I'm okay with using the flashback lights for now. I had no idea Angie was going to do that." I then turned to the other council members. "Did you all agree to that? I know at least I wasn't aware, but what about you guys?" I asked them.
"N-No. I wasn't aware Angie was going to do that." Keebo said.
"I-I didn't either." Himiko added. "But...Angie is right though. None of us care about returning to the outside world, so it's fine, isn't it?"
"If that's what you all think, then sure, but it should have been discussed among us at least a bit." I sighed as I walked over to Angie. "I'm not angry that you did that, but I wish you at least asked the student council about it before you went ahead and did it. If most of the student council said they wanted to destroy the light because they're dangerous, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. Isn't that why you formed the student council? So we could all come to an agreement and then work together to help stop the killing game?" Angie looked down with a downcast expression as she slowly nodded. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine. Nothing we can do about it. You just wanted to help us. And for all we know, you could have just saved us from an additional motive. Besides, I still trust your judgement on stuff like this. Just next time, ask us about it." Angie seemed to brighten up when I said that, however, what I said didn't sit well with some of the others.
"You say that, but when you say 'ask us about it', you're only talking about your student council and not any of us." Maki grumbled.
"I don't see what's so bad about that. I trust everyone on the student council." I explained. "We all want to prevent deaths and end the killing game. We're all willing to do anything to that end. The real world is like that too. There's always a person or a group of people who make decisions for everyone else, whether it's in a job or even politics. You can't just leave everything to democracy or attempt to please everyone. There has to be a group who can quickly and swiftly make decisions to solve problems, especially when all our lives are on the line." I then looked at the broken flashback light and had an idea. "Speaking of which, Angie's actions may have given us an opportunity." I began as I picked up the broken parts and examined them a bit. "With this, we can now actually examine the flashback light's parts. We might find something out about their properties. We haven't been able to do that before since the old flashback lights get taken away after they're used. This may allow us to determine exactly how they work and if they're truly trustworthy or not." I then turned to Angie and gave her a smile. "Good job, Angie. This will definitely help." That really brightened Angie's mood as she started to beam. The other's weren't so happy though.
"Wh-Why you…! You're going too far! Even if you want to stop the killing game, you all are going way too far." Kaito shouted.
"Sorry, but this is for the best." I told him. "If there was a way to go about this without upsetting any of you, I would do it, but that's not how life is. We can't fall to the killing game, so tough and unpleasant decisions need to be made for us to get through this game unscaved."
"You say it's for the best, but you don't actually know that, do you?" Kokichi asked with a smirk. "By the way, do you all have a plan for the you-know-what?"
"Are you talking about the resurrection ritual?" I asked. "If that's what you're curious about, then yes. We have made plans for it."
"Wh-What!?" Kaito shouted.
"What...are you planning?" Shuichi asked me.
"It's as Rin said before. If the ritual is a fake, nothing bad happens, and if it's real, one of our friends comes back." Keebo said.
"Yes yes! A friend returning to us will make life much more fulfilling!" Angie nodded, her energy now completely back.
"That would be nice." I sighed. "You all say you have a problem with what we're doing, but life isn't a fairytale where the heroes always win and everyone survives. We already know that much too well. That's why we need to make these tough decisions. We have to work hard and do things that aren't fun to survive."
"But, but! If we submit to Atua's will and let go of our desire to leave, then our lives here at this school will become peaceful and serene no matter what happens!" Angie exclaimed.
"While I've made it clear I don't want us to stay here forever, Angie's argument is logical. Until escape can be guaranteed, we have to brace ourselves for the worst and prepare to stay here for a while. The less we want to leave, the less likely a murder will happen." I stated.
"A-Are you serious about all this? Did you forget that ritual is a motive for the killing game?" Kaito asked me, his expression incredibly pale.
"I hate having to repeat myself, but as I said before, just because it's called a 'motive' doesn't mean we can't make use of it. And anything can become a motive for the killing game. It's not just limited to whatever Monokuma and the cubs give us. Anything at any time can be turned into a motive for us to kill. Some of us might not even need a motive to murder right now." I told him.
"Besides, this motive is of no concern to us, as long as you cast aside your desire to escape." Angie added. "What? You still want to leave? That sort of thinking is what almost got Rin killed before." That made a few people freeze up as they began to look paler and more nervous than usual. Of course, one of the few exceptions to this was Kokichi, who just kept smirking in the back.
"By the way...who are you going to resurrect?" He asked.
"Wh-What kind of stupid question is that!?" Kaito screamed.
"I actually don't know. I left that decision to the others. What did you end up agreeing on?" I asked the other council members.
"Well, after discussing the matter with the other members and putting it to a vote, the transfer student we will revive…" Angie began before she started laughing. "Will be a surprise! Find out tomorrow!"
"A surprise…?" Kaede asked in a nervous voice before Angie looked at the clock in the dining hall and pressed her hands onto her cheeks.
"Oh my, it's already so late. I need to get going now." She told us. "I must pray to Atua and continue the preparations for the ritual."
"Nyeeeh...you're right. It's time to pray to handsome Atua." Himiko nodded.
"Well then, let's go." Tenko said.
"By the way, before you go Angie…" I began. "When do you think everything for the ritual will be ready?"
"Probably around nighttime. Why?"
"I want to be with you when the ritual is performed. Presidential duties and stuff." I told her.
"That would be nice! I'd be happy to have you perform the ritual with me!" Angie nodded. Phew, that's one loose end tied up. I'm glad she's okay with it. I have to be cautious, after all. Especially with what I saw a few days ago involving her death. I've tried not to dwell on it too much, but that vision started to make a lot more sense after we got the Necronomicon, what with the effigies needed for the ritual and in the vision. I can't imagine why anyone would want to kill Angie right now, but just in case.
"Nyahahaha! Well then, bye-onara!" Angie shouted as she and the other council members left. I was about to leave too, not thinking I was exactly welcomed right now, before Kaito stopped me, still looking uneasy as he did.
"Rin… Wh-Why are you doing this? I just...don't understand that." He asked me.
"...I just want to do everything I can to protect you all. This is...the best way I can do that right now." I replied.
"But this isn't the right way. You're being manipulated!" Kaito told me desperately. "Y-You must be! You wouldn't do something like this!"
"No, I'm not. I'm doing this because I think it's right." I shot back. "Isn't this what you were trying to help me with? You wanted to help me build confidence in myself and my actions, and that's what I'm doing. I'm trying my best right now to trust myself and the actions I'm taking to end the killing game again, along with trusting others who want to help me."
"But you're trying to control us. Is that really what you think is the right thing to do?" Maki asked with a grimace.
"I'm not trying to control you guys! I just want to set up precautions to help protect everyone!" I shouted.
"Yet you don't even come to the rest of us to decide these precautions. You're only relying on your little student council." Ryoma then said.
"So what would you do then?" I asked, now angry at the constant complaining they've been giving me and the council. "Nothing else I've done seems to work. I made a trap for the 'mastermind' and that got Kirumi and Tsumugi killed. I tried to work with Kokichi to eliminate the threat of the motive videos, and that didn't work! Even if it did, it wouldn't have changed anything! Kiyo still killed Miu! 4 deaths! 4 deaths I could have prevented! And so easily too! If I had just trusted more people, worked with more people with my plans, or have simply done what I'm doing now before!" I was yelling now, but I didn't care. I was making my stance on things clear now.
"I'm tired of the constant death! I don't have anyone else besides you all right now! I have no reason to escape this place, because this place is my entire world right now! If I lose anymore of you, I don't know what I'd do! And you all don't seem to understand our situation! This is a DEATH GAME! Our lives can't just be rainbows and lollipops right now! We can't just do whatever the hell we want! Someone can kill another person at any time! So we need to do whatever we can to survive! All of us! That's what rules and laws are for! To hold us accountable for our actions and to deter the worst scenario! So if that means we have to hold ourselves accountable and set limits on what we can or can't do, then so be it! You all have to make a choice! Freedom to do whatever you want here or allow limits on all of us to help prevent a murder! I've made my choice, so you all better make yours!" That made them shut up. That's how I truly felt. I was so tired of this killing game, and I wasn't going to hesitate anymore in trying to stop it. I turned away to leave once again, but heard Kaito say something in a soft voice.
"B-But...you're my sidekick, right? I-I want to trust you, but…" I felt my chest tighten as I turned to look at him one last time before I left.
"I trust each of you, and you're all my friends. But the student council are the people I'm trusting to help me prevent a killing from happening. If you can't trust me because of that, then...you should get a new sidekick." Still a little angry and now a little hurt by the lack of trust the others were giving me and the council, I left the dining hall, not waiting to hear another response.
