I took off my headphones. Slowly, I backed up. I felt my back touch the wall. My breaths were fast and shallow. I couldn't feel my fingers. My legs had turned to jelly. The cries of my friends turned to white noise.
I couldn't think.
I couldn't hear.
I couldn't see.
I couldn't breathe.
I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
"Maizono?" A voice asked.
"AHHHH!" I screamed, all my senses flooding back like a wrecking ball to my stomach. Naegi was looking at me, clutching my shoulder as I fell to the floor.
"MAIZONO!" He yelled, supporting me as I climbed back onto my feet. "Maizono, are you okay?"
I looked at him. His face was white and covered in a cold sweat. I felt everyone's eyes on me. "NO!" I smacked his arm away. "Get away from me!" I scrambled towards the door. "I have to get out of here! I have to see! I have to know!" I burst open the doors and ran as fast as I could.
"WAIT!" I heard Naegi cry, but I didn't stop, I just kept running.
To where? I didn't know. I just had to get out. I had to run. I had to do SOMETHING. I stumbled, and Naegi used that opportunity to grab my arm, halting me in my tracks.
"Sayaka, stop!" Naegi shouted.
And I did.
I turned around slowly. "You… Naegi…" I said softly, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Everyone else had gathered into the hallway to watch the spectacle. Apparently I hadn't gotten very far.
"Come on." He half-dragged me into one of the empty classrooms and shut the door.
"You… you called me… you called me Sayaka…" I said slowly. I wasn't sure how I felt.
"I'm sorry I-"
"Makoto…" I breathed. He stopped dead in his tracks. "I'm so scared, Makoto, I have to get out. I have to get out of here!"
"Sayaka, calm down!"
"I can't! How can I be calm, Makoto?" I started sobbing. "What am I supposed to do? My friends, they're-"
"Sayaka, please, listen to me." He said softly. He grabbed my arms tenderly and looked me in the eye. Once again I saw my pathetic reflection in them. "I said it before: I'll protect you. I'll do anything for you. Please, let me help."
"A-Anything?" I sniffed.
He nodded and smiled. "Of course."
"MAKOTOOO!" I wailed, thrusting my face into his chest. "Thank you! Thank you." I sniffed. I stood up, regaining my composure. In an instant, my friend had rekindled my spirits. I smiled at him. "And of course, I will help you! As your Ultimate Assistant!"
He laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha, of course."
Suddenly, Monokuma burst out of nowhere, sweat on his smug face. "Oohooo, it's standing up!" He panted.
Makoto looked confused. "Huh?"
"I-it's standing up!" Monokuma repeated. "Your flagpole~"
I turned away, repressing the urge to vomit.
"W-What!?" Makoto cried, completely falling for the bait. "Screw you! Why can't you just leave us alone!?" He yelled. I turned back, seeing him raise a fist and throw it towards Monokuma, who dodged with ease.
"Ugh!" Monokuma sighed. "You're too slow! Slow! Slow! SLOW!" He cried. "I could have downed an entire 1000 dollar 3-course dinner in the time it took for you to throw that punch!" He chuckled playfully. "Good thing too, or you would have just broken a school regulation~"
Makoto's face was red and his fists were clenched. "Just get out of here!"
"Hmph." Monokuma pouted. "Fine! But I better see some killing pretty soon!"
"Never! I'll never give you the satisfaction!" Makoto cried. "Nor would anyone else here! So screw you and your stupid motive!"
Monokuma vanished.
An awful, evil, disgusting thought wormed its way into my brain like a prion. That motive video, it may have been nothing more than a catalyst for us to start murdering each other, but… "I have to know." I whispered quietly to myself. Makoto didn't seem to notice. I looked at Makoto carefully. He looked back at me and smiled.
"Makoto…" I breathed.
"Yeah?"
"You said you'd do anything for me, right?"
"Of course." He looked nervous. "We will get out of here. That's a promise."
I swallowed. I couldn't believe I was considering it. But the video kept plaguing my mind. My friends… I had to know.
"Hey, Maizono." Makoto said.
"Huh?" I responded. "M-Makoto, you can keep calling me Sayaka… I-I don't mind…" I said softly.
"Oh. O-Okay." Makoto replied. "Sayaka?"
"Y-yeah?"
"This is probably a dumb idea, but… Ishimaru suggested we tell each other what was in our videos, so that there would be less of a motive." He explained. "Would you wanna tell me yours?" He asked. He looked scared.
I shook my head. "No, I couldn't. I don't wanna think about it."
Makoto nodded. "I understand. Did you wanna know mine?"
I shook my head again.
"Okay. Thank you, Sayaka. Do you want me to help you back to your dorm?"
I nodded.
"Cool." He held the classroom door open and together we walked back to our dorm rooms. Ogami was waiting for us.
"Glad to see you're both okay." Ogami said. "That was very brave of you, Naegi. Thank you."
"Ehehe, I was just worried. Who wouldn't be after those videos?"
Ogami looked down. "Hmm. Exactly. Are you feeling any better, Maizono?"
It was hard not to be intimidated by Ogami's tall and imposing figure, but her kind and down-to-earth nature made her so likeable.
"Yes, thank you, Ogami. Makoto helped me get back to reality."
"Makoto, huh?" Ogami smiled knowingly. "I see. I'm glad you two are close. Adapting to life here is key to survival, but having close friends you can rely on and confide in is paramount to living. Wouldn't you agree?"
I swallowed. "Of course."
"Well, with that, I bid you both farewell. Have pleasant dreams. We will all convene in the morning as usual, I'm sure."
I nodded. "Of course. Goodnight, Ogami."
"Goodnight, Ogami." Makoto echoed.
Ogami turned and walked into her bedroom.
"Well, goodnight Sayaka." Makoto smiled.
"Goodnight, Makoto." I said and watched as he walked into his bedroom. As I opened the door to my bedroom, I thought I saw Kuwata's head peer around from his bedroom door out of the corner of my eye.
Two hours later, I still couldn't sleep. The idea my brain conjured up earlier still festered away in the back of my mind, along with the video I was forced to watch. It wasn't enough to convince myself it wasn't real, cause I knew damn well it was. Which meant that… my friends…
"No." I said. I got off my bed and stood up. I walked over to the door. I could feel it mocking me. I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. No-one was around. The whole place was dead silent. Which meant- I gulped. I couldn't believe I was actually going through with this.
But I had no choice. There was no other way. I paced up and down the hallway, eyeing all the nameplates as I did. One of these people has to die, just so I can leave. Is that a price I'm willing to pay?
"I have no choice." I thought. Thus I set my plan to action: I walked down the hallway to the dining hall. It wasn't quite nighttime yet, but it was close.
"Hi, Maizono!" Asahina's eager voice cried. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Oh!" I jumped. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the dining hall, that was an issue. "Yeah, Makoto really helped me."
She giggled. "That's good." She sipped her tea. Ogami just smiled and nodded.
I nodded back and headed into the kitchen. I looked at the set of kitchen knives.
"There's a set of knives in the kitchen, we'd best be careful." I remembered Kuwata's remark he made after we first searched the school.
"Kuwata…" I whispered to myself. I felt really bad, but he'd probably be the only one who'd fall for my trap. Apart from Makoto of course, but there's no way I could hurt him… "Makoto…" I breathed out loud. I was hurting him by doing this, but I had no other choice. I've come this far already anyway. I grabbed a large knife from the set and hid it underneath my shirt. I walked out of the kitchen, exhaling deeply.
"Are you alright, Maizono?" Ogami asked, eyeing me with a concerned expression.
"Ah, yes. I'm fine." I said hurriedly. "I just needed a drink of water."
"Hmm. Fair enough." Ogami stood up. "Thank you for the tea, Hina. We should head back to our rooms."
"I-I mean... I was hoping you could stay in my room tonight..." Hina said softly. "I could use some company." She stood up.
"Of course, Hina." Ogami replied. They both picked up their cups and saucers and walked into the kitchen.
I casually walked out of the dining hall, feigning calmness. Once I was in the hallway, I quickly ran back to my room, holding onto the knife very carefully. Once I was inside my room, I breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, Monokuma's nighttime announcement went off. By now, most people would be in their rooms. I stepped out into the hallway, and once again it was dead silent. Apart from Ogami and Asahina, everyone else must have stayed in their rooms after watching the video, and I don't blame them. If everyone's video was as horrifying as mine…
"And yet, I'm the only one plotting to kill someone." I said out loud. I was glad that everyone's rooms were soundproof, but my own words scared me. Once again I asked myself why the hell I was going through with this plan again, and again the video played in my mind. Monokuma had played me like a fiddle, and I was letting him do it.
I walked to Makoto's room and stopped outside his door. Was Kuwata's life less important than my own? Can I really be this selfish?
"No, I'm doing this for my friends. My band, my pop group… I can't just leave them behind." I took a deep breath. With an unsteady hand, I knocked on Makoto's door.
The door opened ajar, and Makoto slowly peered around it. Once he saw it was me, he opened it all the way. "Ah! Sayaka! Are you alright?"
"C-Can I come in?" I said shakily. I clutched my arm, and I could tell I was sweating.
"Ah, sure." He stepped aside and let me through, closing the door after me. "Are you alright, Sayaka?" He asked again.
I rubbed my arm. "N-No… I'm s-so s-scared... "
He gulped. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"
"I-I-I was struggling to go to sl-sleep, a-and I h-heard my doorknob rattle... l-like someone was trying to force their w-way into my r-room…" I may have been lying, but my fear was very real. "I'm so s-scared… what do I do? What if they come back? What if they-"
"Ah-" Makoto interrupted. "Don't say things like that!" He looked around, deep in thought. "Well, what if, if you're really feeling scared, you could sleep in my room tonight?"
"Ah!" I gasp. "Isn't that kind of… weird? Two people sharing the same room?"
He looked shocked. "Ah! No! I didn't mean that! Haha, I meant like, we could swap rooms."
"S-swap rooms?" I giggled. "That's a good idea, Makoto. And don't worry, I knew you weren't thinking any dirty thoughts like that, haha." I smile at him.
"Ehehe, yeah…"
"Like I said, I'm psychic!"
He rolled his eyes. "You can't fool me, I know it's just your intuition."
"Heehee, or is it?"
He laughed. "You seem to be in a better mood now. Oh, right. I should give you my room key." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key with his name on it. "We can swap back in the morning when we go to breakfast."
"That's a good idea." I handed him the key I had in my hand. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Oh, wait!" Makoto exclaimed. "Before I go, I should explain one thing: There's a trick to opening my bathroom door. The door doesn't quite fit right in my door frame. You just have to lift up the door as you turn the knob and it should open fine."
"Oh, thank you! The water isn't on during the night anyway, but I might use it when I wake up in the morning."
"Sounds good. Anyways, sleep tight, Sayaka. And stay safe, okay?"
I nodded. "You too, Makoto."
Makoto smiled, and left his own bedroom.
Two hours later, and it was time.
I exhaled deeply. I still couldn't believe I was going through with this, but I couldn't back down. I laid down on his bed very briefly, careful not to fall asleep. His mattress was hard. Not that hard, but noticeably harder than my own. Maybe the boys' beds were all like that. I turned my head to the side and saw a notepad that hadn't been used, and I saw my opportunity. I got up from the bed and walked over to the notepad.
"I'd best be careful. Kirigiri is smart and she's very resourceful." I pulled down my sleeve so I wouldn't leave any fingerprints on the pen. I very carefully thought about what I was writing, and who to. I couldn't just pick anybody, after what we just saw, most people are unlikely to fall for a message from anyone, so I was careful to sign it with my first name. I ripped the sheet off the paper carefully and walked out of Makoto's room. Folding it and putting it in my pocket, I stepped back out into the hallway once again. I swapped the nameplates on mine and Makoto's door. Implicating my best friend to murder, how cruel. But I couldn't let my guilt plague me now. Save it for once I get out of here. Besides, Makoto said he'd help me get out, no matter the cost. I then walked to Kuwata's room and placed the note. I knocked on his door then ran back to Makoto's room, which now bore my nameplate. I shut the door and sat on Makoto's bed and waited.
A few minutes later, I heard a knock at my door. I drew the knife, holding it behind my back, and opened the door.
"Sayaka?" I heard a voice say.
My heart dropped. "M-Makoto?"
Makoto looked at me, shocked and confused. Behind him, Kuwata stood, equally shocked and confused.
"Sayaka, I thought we agreed to never open our doors to anyone." Makoto looked hurt. "Was that a lie?"
"Makoto, I-"
"And why are our nameplates switched?" Makoto asked. He looked at me suspiciously. "Sayaka, what were you doing?" He asked slowly.
"Wait, switched?" Kuwata asked. "What do you mean?"
"Ah, I should explain." Makoto said. "Sayaka, let us in."
Admitting defeat, I opened the door all the way and let them in, shutting the door behind them. I stood by the door, keeping the knife hidden surreptitiously behind my back.
"Wait, this looks just like my room." Kuwata frowned, walking towards the bed. "But I thought the girls and boys dorms were different."
"That's because this is my room." Makoto explained. "Sayaka and I switched rooms, because she was scared." He turned and looked at me. "Well, at least I thought she was anyway."
"She left me this note by my door." Kuwata pulled out the note and showed it to Makoto, who read it carefully.
"I see." Makoto said quietly, handing it back to Kuwata and glaring at me.
Kuwata's face broke, as if he just realised something. "Wait, were you luring me here to try to kill me!?" He growled angrily.
I backed further up against the door, sweating. "N-No, of c-course not!" I cried desperately.
"YOU LYING BITCH!" Kuwata yelled. He grabbed the replica sword from the case.
Makoto was instantly on alert. "Now calm down, Kuwata-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He yelled, walking towards me.
"You don't know what you're doing!" Makoto yelled back. He stepped between Kuwata and me, trying to push him back.
"GET THE HELL OFF ME, BASTARD!" Kuwata screamed, smacking Makoto in the head with the hilt of the replica sword, knocking him backwards.
"MAKOTO!" I cried, stepping forward, accidentally revealing the knife.
"Ohoho, so I was right." Kuwata sneered. "I can't believe I trusted you. I asked you for help! I looked up to you! And now you're just gonna kill me!?"
I growled and lunged forward with the knife.
Kuwata sidestepped me and smacked me with the sword, which was still in its sheath. It was only a small blow on my back, but it hurt. I quickly turned around and swiped the knife at him again. He blocked it with the sword and pushed me back. I tripped over the bed and fell onto it. He took the sword out of the sheath and stepped towards me. I quickly got back up and lunged again. He deflected my strike by smacking my wrist with the hard steel of the sword.
"AH!" I cried, feeling bones snap inside my wrist where the sword had struck. I dropped the knife and Kuwata saw his chance. He shoved me away and grabbed the knife. I was helpless. I looked at the bathroom door. I slowly walked towards it. My ankle and my wrist were in so much pain. I struggled with the door handle. "Stupid door frame!" I yelled. I saw Kuwata run towards me. He held the knife high in the air, an evil grin on his face. "This is it." I said. I was going to die here. And it was all my stupid fault. I watched the knife descend. I closed my eyes and waited for the killing blow.
SCHICK!
I heard the strike, but I remained uninjured. I opened my eyes.
"MAKOTO!" I screamed.
Makoto stood still, in between me and Kuwata, a knife deep within his chest. "Urgh…" He moaned, before collapsing to the floor.
"MAKOTOOOO!" I screamed again.
Makoto Naegi, my best friend, whom I nearly used and betrayed to ensure I graduated, now lay dead on the floor, a knife buried in his chest.
"Hck-" Kuwata gasped, his voice caught in his throat. He dropped the replica sword and stepped backwards, the weight of his actions weighing in on him. "Naegi… why dude…?"
"Makoto…" I sobbed. I collapsed onto my knees. I crawled towards and lay his motionless head on my lap. Blood seeped out of his chest and onto my legs. I slowly looked up at Kuwata. "You. Monster."
"Wah- ME?" He cried. "You tried to kill me! If you hadn't have done that we wouldn't be in this goddamn mess!" He screamed. "SCREW YOU! THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT! STUPID BITCH! STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID!" He collapsed onto Makoto's bed, crying. "What the fuck do I do now?" He sobbed. "My life, my work, my hopes and dreams, all gone. In one fell goddamn swoop!" He looked at me, an angry glare on his face. "And worst of all, a goddamn innocent person died for it. This is on both of us. Expose me all you want, but neither of us are getting out of this mess innocent."
My body shook. This was all my fault. This was all my fault. This is all my stupid fucking fault! I sobbed harder. The weight of my actions finally dawned on me. Not only did I get my best friend killed, but now I'm damning someone to a lifetime of trauma and guilt. Kuwata might never recover from this, assuming he got out alive.
"For now, let's get this blood off our clothes and get the hell out of here." Kuwata said calmly.
My breaths were shaky. "W-we're gonna have to tell everyone…"
"Yeah. I know. And then they'll hate us. And then I'll-" He cut himself off. He sighed. He stood up off the bed and picked up the replica sword. He sheathed the sword and placed it back on its stand.
I carefully moved Makoto's body and stood up. "Hhhhh…" I exhaled shakily. My heart was racing and I felt the pit in my stomach grow larger and deeper.
Kuwata walked over and grabbed the handle of the knife in his chest.
"What the hell are you doing!?" I cried, smacking his hand away. "Don't tamper with the evidence!"
"B-but-"
"You're gonna get found out anyway. There's no point. You expose me and I expose you. Neither of us win here."
He stood back up and looked me dead in the eye. "Yeah. But at least you didn't pull the trigger."
"Come on. Let's get to the laundry room." He said.
I nodded. "Oh, wait." I muttered. I bent down and searched through Makoto's pockets, until I found the key to my bedroom. "I'm so sorry, Makoto." I whispered to him before following Kuwata out of Makoto's bedroom.
Kuwata was standing outside the door to the laundry room. Once I caught up to him, we walked in. "Shit. I guess the water not working during nighttime applies here too."
"O-oh." I said.
Kuwata looked around, and his eyes fell on the table in the middle of the laundry room, where a bunch of fashion magazines lay. "I think I know how we can get rid of the blood." He picked up a crystal ball that lay on the table.
"WAIT!" I cried. "Isn't that Hagakure's crystal ball? What are you going to do with it?"
"Follow me." He walked out of the laundry room without another word.
"H-hold on!" I cried, jogging after Kuwata. He turned the corner past the laundry room and headed straight for the trash room. "The trash room?" I said once I'd walked in. "Why are we here?"
"To dispose of the evidence." He said coldly. He threw the crystal ball as hard as he could through a gap in the metal shutter. I watched in awe as it smashed against the controls of the incinerator, turning it on. The incinerator roared to life, and broken fragments of glass lay underneath it.
"Kuwata what are you doing!?" I yelled.
He said nothing, instead taking off his blood-stained coat and shirt, balling them up, and then tossing into the incinerator. A 30ft gap like that would have been impossible to clear for anyone else, but it must have been child's play to the Ultimate Baseball Star. Without a word, he turned around and left the trash room.
I ran out after him, calling his name. He stopped outside his bedroom door. "What was even the point in that? What are you going to do now?"
"I dunno." He said without turning around. "There's not really much I can do. Thanks to your stupid ass…" he turned around and faced me, a terrified expression on his face. "I have nothing to live for anymore."
