A/N: Here's Chapter Four Deadly Life Part Five. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Danganronpa 4: Next Generation Killing!

Chapter Four: Pride and Prejudice!

Deadly Life Part Five: Kiki's Lie?!

"Where was everyone during the murder…?" Keebo pondered. "If anyone has any useful information, please speak up!"

"Gonta was in his room…" Gonta volunteered. "Gonta was taking care of his bug friends."

"I was in the kitchen, preparing food." Kirumi explained "It was around lunchtime, after all."

"Yeah, she's right." Tsumugi nodded. "I was sitting in the dining hall. That whole argument spoiled my appetite, so I didn't get hungry until around lunchtime."

"We don't necessarily need to prove our own alibis." Ryoma suggested "All we need is to find Sokyu's alibi."

"My alibi?" Sokyu raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"That's right, your alibi. Can you prove you never met with Seven?"

"Why does it matter if I did or didn't see him after breakfast?"

"Cause if you did…then you had an opportunity to kill him."

Briefly biting her lip in hesitation, Kiki swallowed the lump in her throat. With this lie…I'll find the truth! "Sokyu never met up with Seven!"

"What?!" Shuichi exclaimed, his eyes widened in shock.

"…What…?" Sokyu muttered, his own eyes slightly widened in surprise.

"I…I saw Sokyu before the murder." Kiki stammered.

"You…did…?" Keebo questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah…I ran into him in the hallway. We only passed by each other for a moment. But when I saw him…he was completely alone."

"Alone…?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the new revelation.

Shuichi furrowed his brow, holding his palm to his lips. His eyes lowered, the detective deep in contemplation, though Kiki was too focused on her lie to notice.

"But if Sokyu was alone during the murder…" Kirumi realized.

Kiki nodded. "Right, it would mean that Sokyu has an alibi! So he couldn't have committed the murder!"

"So we had the wrong culprit from the start?!" Tsumugi gasped.

"Y-Yeah…Sokyu wouldn't have been able to commit the crime!"

The heterochromatic girl smiled nervously, sweat beginning to trickle down her forehead. I gotta stay calm! If I can just show some confidence, then everyone will buy into my lie, and we can focus on finding the real culprit-

"Is that really true?"

"Huh?" Kiki's eyes widened at Shuichi's hesitant grimace. "W-What are you saying?!"

"I'm just wondering if there are any other possibilities, that's all." Shuichi gently tried to explain, his lips stretching into a nervous smile in an attempt to placate the obviously frustrated girl. "Just because you saw him alone, doesn't mean he never met up with Seven at all. We need to consider whether any meeting with Seven occurred-"

"No that's wrong!"

Shuichi trailed off at Kiki's outburst. He turned his head, locking eyes with her own. With the fire blazing within them and the feeling of her rapid breath on his face, she seemed like a raging bull about to charge.

"What the hell are you saying, Saihara?!" Kiki gritted her teeth, clenching her fist as it shook in fury. "Are you calling me a liar?!"

"Wha-no, that's not it at all, Kiki!" Shuichi shook his head. "I'm just saying we need to look at other possibilities-"

"There are no other possibilities!" Kiki hissed, causing the young detective to shake in his boots. "I'll prove to you that Sokyu never met up with Seven!"


Rebuttal Showdown -Truth Blade-: Kiki vs Shuichi!

"You doubt my claims?!" Kiki's eyes narrowed in an intense glare.

I don't want to doubt you, Kiki! A frustrated Shuichi thought as Kiki continued her verbal barrage.

"I told you, I saw Sokyu alone in the hallway."

Nobody's saying you didn't.

"And if Sokyu was alone in the hallway…"

We haven't cleared up if he was alone the entire time.

"Then he couldn't have killed Seven!"

But it's too early to conclude that decisively.

"There are no other possibilities!"

Shuichi finally mustered up the courage to respond, arguing, "But the issue isn't your testimony. We need to determine if anyone else saw Sokyu at any other time!"

"I told you, that's impossible!" Kiki spat.

No, it's not impossible, Kiki! Shuichi mentally argued more confidently, finally catching his second wind.

"If anyone else saw Sokyu after breakfast, they would have said something to me."

Not if you stormed out before they could say it.

"But nobody has said anything about seeing Sokyu after breakfast."

You don't know that for sure.

"So nobody but me saw Sokyu in the hallway!"

Focusing on Kiki's misconception like a laser, Shuichi narrowed his eyes in a glare of his own. "I'll cut through your words!"


"Someone else did see Sokyu in the hallway. It was Keebo!"

"K-Keebo?!" Kiki stammered, all her anger fading from her face in lieu of shock. "B-But I never saw Keebo in the hallway…"

"Keebo must have seen Sokyu at a different time." Shuichi reasoned. "Because Keebo definitely saw Sokyu in the hallway. He told me as much during the investigation."

"D-During the…i-investigation…?"

Keebo nodded. "Yes, I do recall seeing Sokyu in the hallway. And he wasn't alone. He was with Seven."

"W-With Seven…?"

Shuichi's brow furrowed in confusion at Kiki's shocked tone. "Keebo, just to be absolutely sure…did you see anyone else in the same area as Sokyu and Seven?"

Keebo hummed, his eyes lighting up as he searched his databanks. Kiki began to sweat nervously, knowing that her lie was about to be exposed. Once his eyes dimmed, Keebo shook his head.

"No, I did not see her at all."

Shuichi's eyes lowered, his lips tugging into a disappointed frown. "Thanks, Keebo. That proves it then."

"Proves what?" Tsumugi cocked her head, an anxious curiosity evident on her face.

"…"

Shuichi averted his eyes, biting his lip in hesitation. After a moment, he steeled his resolve, releasing his lip and returning his gaze to the survivors.

"It proves that the alibi Kiki told us…was a lie."

"A lie?!" Keebo exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock and horror.

"Gasp!" Monokuma exclaimed. "You're saying that Miss Goody Two-Shoes actually told a lie?!"

"But what rationale would Kiki have to lie to us?" Kirumi recalled "She did call out Kaede when she lied, after all."

"It is as Kirumi said." Keebo nodded. "It is rather difficult to imagine Kiki lying to us."

"Why did Kiki lie?" Shuichi frowned. "The answer should become obvious once you consider who would benefit from her lie."

Who would benefit from me lying…? Kiki grimaced. It's certainly not me…nor is it Shuichi. It wouldn't be Seven…that's the one… Kiki sighed, replying "…You're talking about Sokyu, right?"

Shuichi nodded. "That's right. Kiki's lie was designed to give Sokyu an alibi and turn our suspicion away from him."

"But wait." Ryoma interjected. "That still doesn't explain why Kiki would do that. Why would she try to defend someone who's obviously suspicious?"

"Our suspicions are evidence enough of why Kiki lied to us." Shuichi answered. "Don't you remember what happened when we all started to suspect Sokyu?"

"Oh!" Gonta exclaimed. "That's when she stormed out of the Dojo."

Shuichi grimaced in agreement. "She was frustrated that we weren't giving Sokyu the benefit of the doubt. She felt like we weren't treating him fairly. She believed in his innocence, like Kaede believed in mine. So, she told what she believed was a harmless white lie in order to convince us that he wasn't a prime suspect."

"Is…Is this true, Kiki…?" Kirumi gasped, holding her palm to her lips.

Everyone stared expectantly at the heterochromatic girl. She glanced down at her podium and gripped the edge of the railing. Her knuckles turned white, the girl barely holding back her angst-filled tears.

"Kiki…"

Shuichi's gentle voice caused her to look up at him. His eyes were downcast, filled with disappointment and a strange sense of guilt.

"Kiki…I know how you feel. I know because…we all feel it." He glanced at Sokyu briefly before returning his gaze back to the conflicted girl next to him. "But…" He sighed "…We have to face the truth. No matter how cruel that truth may be, we need to face it…to survive."

Kiki sniffled, a single tear finally trickling down her cheek. Her shoulders seemed to shake under the pressure of her own guilt.

What have I done…? I…I broke my own cardinal rule, I lied to my friends…and for what…? Just to make this harder for everyone…? Kiki finally caved, sobs bleeding into her voice. "I…I'm sorry…everyone. Shuichi's right. I…I lied to you all…"


"Kiki…why…?" A wide-eyed Koto gasped, his and Kiri's faces pale from the revelation that their honest-to-goodness big sister had told a lie.

"Why did you lie?!" Kiri exclaimed. "You called out Kaede for lying! Why did you make the exact same mistake?!"

"…She was desperate." Mokubo muttered, though he couldn't help the melancholy frown that his lips had tugged into.

"She let her stubborn pride and emotions get the better of her." Maki nodded.

"…I understand how she felt…" Everyone turned their surprised eyes towards Kyoko, who anxiously bit her lip. "Don't misunderstand. I'm very disappointed in her for lying. That being said…I also understand perfectly well the feeling of being trapped, of feeling like there's no other way to survive but to cross a line."

"Kyoko…"

Makoto frowned at the conflict in his wife's eyes and empathized with her. As a parent who preached honesty, it hurt to see his daughter, who always took his and Kyoko's lessons to heart, seemingly discard them. But as a Killing Game survivor, he understood fully well the necessity of an occasional white lie or bluff in perilous situations.

"The question is…how is she going to get out of it…?" Kyoko fretted. "Like Kaede, Kiki's shot her own credibility. If she's to have any chance of surviving, she needs to come clean, and convince the others that she can still be trusted."

"That's…going to be a tall order…" Maki admitted.

The others frowned, unable to refute the former assassin's point. Still dealing with the emotional aftermath of Kiki's lie, they watched as she desperately tried to defend her foolish, prideful mistake.


"So, it's true?!" Tsumugi gasped in shock. "Kiki lied to us?!"

"That matter…does appear to be settled…" Keebo reluctantly admitted, hurt bleeding into his voice.

"But I swear, I only did it because I believed in Sokyu's innocence!" Kiki exclaimed.

"I cannot think of any other plausible motive, and Shuichi has claimed it to be her rationale, so I think it's probably safe to assume that her rationale was to protect Sokyu." Kirumi concluded with a melancholy tone.

"With that settled…" Keebo sighed. "We should come to a logical decision on whether Sokyu is guilty."

"With his alibi being a lie fabricated by Kiki…" Kiki winced at Ryoma's reminder, her guilt exacerbated by the betrayed dimness in his eyes. "It makes it all the more likely that Sokyu is the culprit."

"So…" Kiki sniffled. "It's…really true…?" Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "I lied…for nothing…? Sokyu…really is the…the blackened…?"

"No, we can't determine that yet."

"Huh?" Kiki uttered, her and everyone else's eyes turning in surprise to Shuichi.

"We can't conclude yet that Sokyu is indeed the blackened."

"Hm? But why, though?" Ryoma questioned. "His alibi has gone completely up in smoke. Besides, we all agreed that he was the prime suspect."

"He was the most suspicious…" Keebo admitted. "The probability of his innocence at this point is rather low."

Kirumi nodded. "Shuichi, even you agreed that he was likely to have committed the crime-"

"That's wrong." Shuichi shook his head, causing Kiki's eyes to widen in surprise. "I never once said that Sokyu was the culprit."

"Gonta…isn't sure he understands…what did Shuichi say during the investigation?"

"All I said was that we couldn't rule out the possibility that Sokyu could be the culprit. But not once did I say conclusively that he was the culprit."

That's right, he did! Kiki realized, fiddling with her braid in embarrassment. Was I…too blinded by anger and pride…that I didn't even see that…?

"I don't know if I believe in his innocence to the same degree that Kiki did…but I do believe in innocent until proven guilty. And while there may be evidence implicating him in the crime…there isn't enough to conclusively prove that he did it. And until I see that evidence for myself, he is innocent for now."

"So…" Kiki finally spoke, her confused mind finally starting to clear. "You…you really were taking this case seriously…?"

Shuichi nodded. "While you were investigating the other areas of the school, I was investigating the Dojo for clues. I wanted to share what I found with you before the trial started, but…"

Shuichi smiled awkwardly, causing the guilt and remorse in Kiki's heart to grow even further. "I…I've been an idiot, haven't I…?"

"Kiki…" Shuichi smiled at her, encouraging, "It's not too late, you know. We can still share the evidence we found. Just promise to be honest with us from now on, and I promise, I'll believe-"

"Why should we believe her?"

"Huh?" Kiki and Shuichi uttered, turning their heads in shock towards Ryoma.

"Why should we believe anything she says now? We already know her attempt to give Sokyu cover was a lie." His eyes narrowed at the heterochromatic girl. "How do we know she wasn't planning on leading us to the wrong answer and trying to get us killed?"

"What…?" Kiki gasped, horrified by Ryoma's accusation.

"That can't be…" Gonta breathed. "Kiki just made a mistake, right? No way could she have tried to kill us!"

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to accuse Kiki of trying to get us all killed…" Kirumi sighed, lowering her eyes in hesitation. "…But her lying to us does call her entire honesty into question."

"I don't mean to come off as cruel…but the logical choice in this situation would be to scrutinize Kiki's claims from now on." Keebo admitted.

"Yeah…I'd like to believe Kiki…but she did commit perjury." Tsumugi bit her lip, her eyes showing the conflict deep within her. "Her Influence Gauge just went way down…"

"Now hold on!" Shuichi objected, grimacing for a split second before his eyes narrowed in determination. "I'm just as disappointed as the rest of you that Kiki lied to us…" Kiki winced at Shuichi's reminder of her sin. "But she's guided us through every trial up until now! Her track record should speak for itself! I believe in Kiki!"

Shu…Shuichi… Burying her touched emotions, she pleaded "Guys…please…I'm really sorry-"

"Two-For-One Truth Special!" Everyone turned towards Monokuma, their predicament interrupted by the robotic bear's amused words. "Sorry to ruin this tense moment, but you guys seem pretty evenly split right now…So, Kibou University is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!"

"…So we're gonna do that again?" Sokyu grumbled.

Kiki meanwhile bit her lip, her eyes glancing at Shuichi. To her surprise, Shuichi smiled back, nodding approvingly at her. His silent encouragement gave Kiki the strength she needed to stand tall and hold her head high.

I don't know why Shuichi believes in me…not after I lied to him and the others. But even so…Shuichi's given me a second chance! I have to convince everyone I can still be trusted to find the truth. If I can't…then we'll never get to the bottom of this case. I can't let that happen. I won't let everyone die because of my mistakes. I'll discard my pride…and take responsibility for what I've done!


"I was afraid of this…" Kyoko sighed as they watched Monokuma turn his key in the lock. "Kiki's credibility has been completely shot by her lie."

"Well…not entirely…" Makoto pointed out. "Shuichi stood up for her, and so did Gonta!"

"And of course, Sokyu has to be on her side." Kiri added, causing Koto to nod.

"Yeah, he'd be an idiot to go against the one person willing to defend him."

"So it's a 50/50 split." Maki summarized. "Let's see if she can get everyone to forgive her for her well-intentioned deception."

"Nee-chan…" Mokubo muttered worriedly, the whole family watching the podium form a spiral before separating into two parallel lines.


Debate Scrum Split Opinion: Should We Believe Kiki?

Don't Believe Kiki! Ryoma, Kirimi, K1-B0, Tsumugi

Believe Kiki! Kiki, Shuichi, Sokyu, Gonta

"We can't trust Kiki's now that we know she's lied to us." Ryoma's eyes narrowed at the girl, who pled with desperation in her voice.

"I know I don't deserve your trust, but I'm trying to make up for what I've done!"

"The entire credibility of Kiki's testimony is in question, I'm afraid." Kirumi stared sadly at Kiki, only for Shuichi to intervene on her behalf.

"One well-intentioned lie shouldn't demolish the credibility Kiki built up from all the past trials."

"I'd like to keep believing in Kiki, but…"

Gonta interjected, seeing a hesitant Tsumugi trail off. "Kiki's mistake will not stop Gonta from believing in her!"

"I don't doubt that Kiki meant well, but the fact that she was willing to deceive us means that any evidence she found is tainted." Keebo lamented.

"We need to hear her evidence and judge her account accordingly." Shuichi shook his head.

"All the evidence points to Sokyu being the culprit." Ryoma insisted.

Kiki clenched her fists in frustration. "We need to discuss all the evidence before we declare anyone the culprit!"

Kiki, Shuichi, Sokyu, and Gonta narrowed their eyes, glaring at the others across from them. Ryoma, Kirumi, Keebo, and Tsumugi narrowed their own in return, both sides engaged in a glaring contest. As Shuichi and Gonta's belief in Kiki flared in their eyes, the encouraged young girl found her second wind.

The self-confidence in her eyes flickered to life until they resembled burning flames. Eventually, the combined blaze of their unity overcame the doubt of the others. Even the stubborn Ryoma averted his eyes as Kiki, Shuichi, Gonta, and even Sokyu pointed at their debate opponents.

"THIS IS OUR ANSWER!"


"I know I lied to you guys, and I'm really sorry I did that!" Kiki wiped her eyes on her wrist, pleading, "But I promise, I won't lie anymore!"

"I believe her." Shuichi nodded. "Besides, it would be a mistake to discount her evidence so easily, especially when she's the only one who's seen it."

"Gonta agrees." Gonta nodded. "We need to hear everything she has to say first!"

"I guess…" Tsumugi reluctantly nodded. "What do you say, guys? Should we let bygones be bygones?"

"I suppose…I can accept that Kiki told her lie out of selfless devotion…" Kirumi smiled sadly, recalling, "Besides…it's not like everyone else here has acted with a completely moral high ground."

"That's all well and good…but if it's not Sokyu, he needs to participate and tell us what his alibi was." Keebo pointed out.

Shuichi nodded, humming in agreement before he turned and narrowed his eyes. "Sokyu!"

"Hm?" Sokyu raised an eyebrow in surprise as the suddenly serious Shuichi pointed at him.

"Kiki lied to protect you. She believed in your innocence, enough that she was willing to risk everything on that belief. If you have even a shred of appreciation for Kiki's defense of you…you'll come clean and tell us where you were and what you were doing around the time of the murder!"

"Sh…Shuichi…" Kiki muttered in awe, her cheeks a faint rose as she listened to Shuichi's passionate demand.

"Hmph." Ryoma shook his head. "You're wasting your time; he's not gonna talk. Besides, even if we can't definitively convict him yet, without any evidence to the contrary, he will remain our prime suspect-"

"So I just have to turn it around, right?"

"Huh?"

Ryoma raised an eyebrow as everyone turned to Sokyu in shock. Instead of his aloof, nonchalant disposition he had treated everyone with since they got to Kibou University, some kind of hesitant, unreadable emotion could be seen in his eyes.

"It's not like I owe that naïve girl a favor or anything just because she lied to defend me…" Sokyu sighed, admitting, "…But that naïve girl may have encouraged me a bit."

"Na…Naïve girl…?" Kiki sweatdropped. I'm glad you're cooperating for once…but did you have to do it while insulting me…?

"What are you trying to say, Sokyu?" Kirumi questioned.

As Sokyu's podium pulled to the center, he admitted "I guess I can't stay silent forever…so I'll tell you."

"Tell us what…?" Ryoma asked curiously.

"…Where I was during the timeframe of Seven's murder, and what I was doing up to that time."

Everyone focused like a laser on Sokyu, though none were more attentive than Kiki. She braced herself for his true alibi, preparing to store every word in her memory as though her life depended on it…because it did.

Somehow, I managed to regain enough trust from the others to keep this trial going, and now Sokyu finally decided to cooperate with us. What happens now…is all up to him. I'll apologize to everyone later for lying to them…but first, we have to get the truth from Sokyu!


Makoto sighed in relief. "Finally, things are starting to look up!"

"Indeed." Kyoko's shared relief was evident in her subtle smile. "She still needs to do more to atone for her lie…but at least this will get them back on the right track."

Maki nodded. "Hopefully, Sokyu will actually give them a useful alibi so they can find the real culprit."

"Nee-chan's evidence should also help with finding the truth, now that she's not using it to fight with everyone." Mokubo commented.

Koto and Kiri nodded, though the hurt from the revelation of Kiki's lie still lingered in their hearts. Part of them didn't know how to feel about their older sister's betrayal of her values.

"Koto. Kiri." The twins turned their heads to see their father smiling understandingly at them. "I know you guys must be feeling a lot of conflicting emotions. Just remember, your sister is ultimately human, meaning that she will make mistakes. What matters now is how she chooses to make up for them moving forward. She's chosen to do that by continuing to fight for the truth, but to keep her on the right path, she needs your love and support now more than ever. Can you keep cheering her on?"

Koto and Kiri blinked, their doubt seeming to dissipate in an instant. They smiled, nodding at their father.

"Okay, Dad." Koto agreed.

"We'll keep cheering Kiki on." Kiri concurred.

Makoto smiled proudly at his children. They stared back at the television, waiting with bated breath for Sokyu's testimony.