Ding Dong, Bing Bong!
"Good morning! Your Hope's Peak Academy Headmaster has an announcement!" Monokuma's voice rang through the monitor. "It is now 7am, and as such, nighttime is officially over! Get ready to greet another beeeaaaayyyyuuuuutiful day!"
I remained on my bed, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. Everyone else was probably already in the dining hall by now. I didn't care. I didn't want to go. I wasn't leaving. After what happened last night, how could I face them? How could I face the day? At that point, I felt it better to just lay there until I died. So I didn't move.
BANG BANG BANG!
A loud knock at my door. I didn't even look at it. My eyes were practically glued to the ceiling, the ceiling in question gradually losing detail as water gathered in my eyes.
Rattle rattle rattle!
An aggressive throttling of my door handle. How ironic.
"GO AWAY!" I yelled, but it was no use. The rooms were soundproof, after all.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
The desperation was palpable. I almost felt something. Concern? Fear? Grief? Who knows. For the most part, I just didn't want to move. The banging continued for several minutes. Not that I had any sense of time anymore. After a while it stopped briefly, then one final loud bang that I honestly thought would blow the door off its hinges to finish it off, then silence.
"Nnnghh…" Was all I could muster the energy to say. After last night, there was no way I could sleep. Makoto's shocked face as he fell to the ground was fixed in my mind. He died saving my life, despite the fact I betrayed him. How could I forgive myself for that?
Bzzt!
"Hey. Maizono. Are you alive in there?" Enoshima's rang through a speaker next to my door. Must be part of the doorbell. "We're all eating breakfast, but you, Kuwata, and Naegi haven't shown up. What's the deal?"
"Enoshima…" I whispered. I considered my options. Would she hate me? Or would she understand? I knew she wanted to get out as much as I did, and she knew I knew she was hiding something. I turned my head to the door. As I did, my eyes laid on the various objects sitting on the table in my room: The key to my room, my DVD, and the bronze knife Makoto gave me. I got up off the bed and picked up the knife. I read the kanji on the knife.
"Mukuro…" I read aloud. "What could that mean?"
"Consider this something to remember me by..."
I almost dropped the knife in shock. Remembering him say that… I gulped. "Did he know…?" I asked out loud. I shook my head. Of course he didn't. It was just a slip of the tongue. "I guess your Ultimate Luck didn't really pay off in the end, huh?" I said aloud. I put the knife into my skirt pocket and opened the door.
Enoshima jumped. "Ah! Oh my God! For a hot second I legitimately thought you had died!" She frowned at me. "Next time, at least say something."
"Sorry…" I muttered. I didn't have the energy to argue.
"Woah, holy shit, Maizono! You look like you haven't slept at all!" Enoshima gasped.
"Ehehe…" I laughed nervously.
"I mean, after how you were last night, I'm not surprised." She shrugged. "Good thing you had your little man Naegi to keep you safe, huh?" She smirked.
I was thankful I was a performer, as I managed to mask my shattered emotions well. "Yeah. That was good." I looked down the hallway to Kuwata's room, and saw him talking to Ishimaru by his door. He looked like he hadn't slept either.
"Jesus, what's up with him?" Enoshima asked, shaking her head. "Anyway, let's go get Naegi."
I blinked. "You didn't get him first?"
"No?" Enoshima raised an eyebrow. "To be honest, I kinda figured he'd be staying with you, after last night." Her tone was super serious. I gulped. She must have been really concerned about me. I followed Enoshima down the hallway to Makoto's room. As Kuwata walked past me, we made eye contact, and I watched his face fall. "Hey, Naegi darling!" Enoshima cried as she held the button next to his door. "Breakfast time~"
No answer.
"Oh my God, not you too!" Enoshima groaned. "Well, if you want your door to look like Maizono's..." She swung her leg back and slammed it into his bedroom door.
And it opened.
"AH!" Enoshima jumped in shock. "His door was unlocked?"
"What!?" Ishimaru growled. He ran back to catch up with us. Kuwata still stood in the middle of the plaza, looking foolish and defeated. He slowly trudged towards us. "What do you mean, unlocked!? That fool!" Ishimaru clenched his fists. "He should know it's unsafe at night!"
"I…" Enoshima muttered. "I think he already knew that…" She slowly walked into Makoto's room, which looked like a war zone. There were marks on the floor from my fight with Kuwata. Gold paint was flecked on various spots on the walls and floor. I gulped. I exchanged glances with Kuwata as we followed Enoshima and Ishimaru into our crime scene. "N… Naegi?" She called out softly. She turned and looked towards the bathroom. I could only watch as she gazed at the figure on the floor. I watched her jump and let out a bloodcurdling scream. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ishimaru ran forward, and he too found Makoto's body. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed, clutching his head in anguish. Even with all his leadership, someone still died. I felt for him. Kuwata and I walked forward to inspect the body with Enoshima and Ishimaru, and that's when we heard it.
Ding Dong, Bing Bong!
We whirled our heads around to the monitor in Makoto's room, and Monokuma's face appeared, gleefully holding a glass of wine.
"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, a class trial will begin." Monokuma said, before the monitor shut off.
"C-Class… Trial…?" Ishimaru said slowly.
"Then t-that means…" Enoshima looked back down at Makoto. "One of us… killed him!?"
"HEY!" Owada cried, bursting into the room to see the commotion. "What the hell's going on-" He stopped. "Hrk-" He backed up. "No… Dude… Why man…" Owada said quietly. "Naegi…"
"Hehe, how ironic." Togami said, standing at the door. "The Ultimate Lucky Student, the one who most doubted that any of us would turn to murder, has been murdered himself in his very own room." He grinned. "I daresay this is a rather interesting development."
"The fuck are you saying, Togami!?" Enoshima growled. "One of our friends just died!"
"Wait, that's what that announcement meant, right?" Asahina said, white-faced. Everyone else had now gathered in Makoto's bedroom. "One of us killed him?"
"It is an unfortunate truth, but it is indeed so." Kirigiri said.
"That bastard! When I get my hands on him…" Owada looked furious. He clenched his fists and drew his shoulders back.
"H-how d-do you k-k-know it's a guy?" Fukawa asked, nervously standing behind Togami.
Owada blinked. "What? I mean…" He looked confused and sagged his body slightly. "I guess it could be a girl…"
"In that case, let Ogre take care of her, haha!" Hagakure laughed.
"This is no laughing matter, Hagakure." Ogami said bluntly. "We must investigate the death of our friend. And besides, Monokuma already has something in mind for the guilty party."
Kuwata started sweating. I forced myself to turn away from the body, holding onto Enoshima for support.
"I'm so sorry, Maizono." Enoshima said, stroking my hair with one hand, while pulling me into a tight hug with the other. "I know you two were super close."
"I-It's just- so cruel!" I sobbed. "Why? Why him!?"
"I don't think anyone could have possibly seen this coming." Yamada said sadly.
"O-oh... " Fujisaki said, a choke in her voice. "Poor Naegi…"
"Hi! Hello there! I see you guys have all seen what has transpired! Tee hee hee!" Monokuma yelled cheerily, once again appearing out of nowhere. "I have something for all of you, so please gather in the gym immediately!"
"Why not just give it to us now?" Celeste asked, tilting her head.
"Hmm… Let's just say the gym is the place we all need to be right now." Monokuma said slyly. "Puhuhu, I'm sure it'll all befit your deadly desires." He vanished.
I felt Enoshima's grip on my body tighten, like she was furious. I could hear her shallow breaths and her thumping heartbeat. She was scared.
"Come on, it's best not to disobey the bear. Who knows what might happen?" Kirigiri said, quickly turning around and leaving Makoto's bedroom.
"Jeez, what is up with her?" Kuwata said quietly. "She's so forward and cold." He walked out of the bedroom, following the small crowd.
"Come on, dude." Owada said fiercely, grabbing Ishimaru's arm. "We gotta get going."
"Yeah. You're right." Ishimaru said, allowing himself one last guilty look at Makoto's body before he left.
"W-we'd best get moving…" I said quietly.
Enoshima looked at me oddly. "Are you alright? You're acting a little strange."
I looked down at Makoto's dead body and said nothing.
"Hmm. Good point." Enoshima shivered. "Let's get going." Enoshima held my hand and we walked to the gym. I could have been able to walk to the gym on my own, but having Enoshima support me like this made me feel a lot better.
"T-thank you, Enoshima." I said as we got into the gym foyer.
"No worries. I just… hope you're okay. Or at the least, I hope you will feel okay. Eventually. This kinda shit takes a lot of time to get used to." She let go of my hand and walked into the gym. I stole a glance at the display case where the replica sword used to be, before swallowing and walking into the gym.
"Took your time, young Maizono!" Monokuma called out from the podium at the front of the gym. "But it's to be expected, after all, there has just been a murdeeeerrrrrr~" He giggled childishly and hopped off the podium. "Now then, onto the main event." He cleared his throat. "Did I ever explain class trials properly? Well, I guess this is the perfect time to explain them! At the trial, you'll have back and forth arguments with each other to determine who the culprit is, and then you all put it to a majority vote! If you vote for the blackened, they alone will be punished, and everyone else continues their communal lives at the academy! But if you vote incorrectly, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the blackened will be granted the right to graduate and leave this place for good!"
"What exactly do these punishments entail, Monokuma?"" Togami asked.
"Hmm… Another way you could refer to them would be… executions!" Monokuma explained.
"EXECUTIONS!?" Yamada yelled, his face turning white.
"Huh!?" Owada cried.
"W-What?" Fujisaki started shaking. "But t-that's- t-that's-"
"Execution is… Execution!" Monokuma growled. "Drowning! Electric Chair! Boring ones like the lethal injection! Fun ones like being torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!" Monokuma laughed evilly.
Kuwata and I exchanged horrified glances at each other.
"So. Catch the blackened and they die, or fail and we all die." Togami grinned. "What high stakes you play at, Monokuma."
"See? I'm glad someone acknowledges my genius!" Monokuma grinned.
"Don't compare yourself to me. You're still my enemy." Togami stared at Monokuma. "And when I win this killing game, I will destroy you."
"Ooooh…" Monokuma started sweating. "You're getting all riled up! Ahahaha!"
"Killing game?" Enoshima shouted. "Why the hell are any of you even considering any of this!?" She scoffed. "Ugh! It's so disgusting and morbid! I'm not going to do all this investigating and get any of my friends murdered! You hear me!? I'm not playing your stupid killing game! I'M OUT!"
"Young lady, do not take that tone with your headmaster!" Monokuma spat. "And as for your attitude to the killing game, unacceptable! Inconceivable!" He slowly edged towards her. "There's no way out of this killing game, you hear me!?" Small metal claws ejected out of his small paw, and he continued to approach Enoshima.
Enoshima scowled and walked forward. "Like hell am I going to listen to you!" She lifted up her foot, as if ready to stomp on Monokuma.
She was going to break the rules.
Without thinking, my hand thrust into my pocket and I pulled out the knife Makoto gave me and threw it at Enoshima. The handle hit her squarely on the back of the head and fell to the floor.
"OW!" Enoshima cried, turning around and flashing me an angry expression. "What the hell was that for?"
"Enoshima, stop! You were about to hurt Monokuma! That's against the rules! You know what that means, right?" I yelled.
"The last time someone broke the rules, they almost got eviscerated by an explosive." Kirigiri recalled. "I doubt Monokuma will let us off with another near-miss." I turned to Owada, and saw him shiver slightly.
"Oh yeah, right. Like he could just kill me. Big fucking deal." Enoshima pouted. She really thought she was untouchable. She turned around, and Monokuma had already walked back to his podium. "Fine! I'll ignore it for now. What did you even throw at me, anyway?" She bent down and picked up the knife from the gym floor. As she inspected the knife, her face turned white and she immediately dropped it, falling on her knees to the floor. "Wh… How…?"
"ENOSHIMA!" I screamed, running towards her. I knelt down next to her, picking up the knife. "Enoshima, what's wrong?"
She looked slowly up at me, shaking uncontrollably. "How…?"
"How what?" I asked.
"How did you have this knife?" Her voice was shaky, and it sounded totally different than before.
"M… Makoto gave it to me…" I said slowly.
"B-But… How…? T-That's not possible…" She clutched at her hair.
"Alright, enough of that stupid crap about nearly killing you with my magical spears cause you tried to hurt me or whatever." Monokuma called out.
"W…" Enoshima turned around to face Monokuma, still down on the floor. "What do you mean, kill me?"
"You almost violated one of the rules, hun! That would have meant sleepy bye-byes for you, sweetheart!" Monokuma giggled. "Puhuhu, I can almost taste that sweet despair! Well, it's too bad your little friend Maizono stopped you, huh?"
Enoshima looked at me, a deep and unsettling fear within her eyes. It was exactly the fear I felt after Makoto died. Her body shook all over. "That… wasn't part of the plan…" She said quietly, as if she were trying to hide it.
"Anyway! Now that that's all been explained," Monokuma continued. "We can get onto the investigation! Because I am a firm believer of fair trials, I would like to present the world's first: It's the Monokuma File!"
"The Monokuma File?" Ishimaru said.
"It's a file that has some important information needed for the investigation! The rest is all up to you! So go get searching!" Monokuma shouted, before disappearing.
I heard a beeping noise on my monopad. Slowly, everyone took out their monopads and looked at them.
"T-Truth Bullets?" Fukawa asked, looking around.
I tapped on the section marked 'Truth Bullets' and looked at its contents. It was a folder which had one file in it, called the Monokuma File. I tapped on it, and it brought up a document which read:
The victim's name was Makoto Naegi. He was found in his bedroom with a knife in his lower torso. Cause of death was a singular stab wound directly into his stomach. Time of death was around 12:30am.
"T-That's it!?" Owada cried. "That's nothing! There's nothing to go on with that!"
"Actually, it's plenty." Kirigiri said. "We have a cause of death and a time of death. From there, we can establish how he was killed and who was the perpetrator. For that, I'd need to investigate the crime scene and the body more thoroughly. It's best we head back to Naegi's room." She explained and turned and walked towards the doors of the gym.
"That…" Kuwata said. He looked at me. I nodded solemnly to him, letting him know I was with him. "That won't be necessary."
"Oh? And why is that?" Togami said accusingly.
"Because it was me. I killed him."
Gasps filled the gymnasium.
"W-What!?" Hagakure cried.
"Y-you… you bastard!" Asahina cried, running up to Kuwata and punching him in the stomach. "Why? Why did you kill poor Naegi?" She sobbed.
"Is this a confession, Kuwata?" Kirigiri asked slowly. "You know what's going to happen to you, whether you're lying or not."
"I know, and I've accepted it." He coughed. He spat on the floor and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Besides, it wouldn't matter anyway, because I had a witness." He turned to me, and suddenly everyone was looking at me.
"Maizono?" Enoshima asked quietly.
"Maizono, this is an important question. Is he telling the truth?" Kirigiri asked.
I stood up slowly. "Yes. I saw him kill Makoto."
"T-Then w-w-why d-didn't y-you say anything!?" Fukawa stammered. "Heh, what h-happened to you two b-being all lovey-dovey?"
"I-It wasn't like that!" I cried.
"One thing I want to quickly check with the bear-" Togami said, but Monokuma was nowhere to be found.
"Save it for the class trial." Kirigiri snapped. "I assume he'll be willing to talk then." She turned to Kuwata and me. "I'm going to take this confession as sound for now. But I still need an opportunity to look at the scene myself. Otherwise we'd just be sitting on our butts until the trial."
I nodded. I watched as everyone filed out of the gym behind Kirigiri, leaving me, Kuwata, and Enoshima standing alone in the middle of the gym.
Enoshima was beside herself. "W… Why…?"
"I-It was an accident!" Kuwata cried.
Enoshima didn't respond. She wasn't looking at him, her gaze was fixed on the floor. I glanced down, and saw she was staring at the bronze knife.
"E-Enoshima? W-will you be alright?" I asked her.
She didn't move. By now she had her palms flat on the floor to steady herself, and her arms were shaking. I had no idea how the knife was so important to her to affect her like that… she must have been super traumatised by almost being killed.
Kuwata sighed. "Well, I should go talk to Kirigiri. I guess I'll see you soon."
I nodded, and watched him leave. I crouched down next to Enoshima. "Hey. We should get going." I laid my hand on her shoulder. Her face was sweaty, and she was shaking profusely. I went to pick up the knife from the floor, but Enoshima snatched it before I could.
"Please. Let me hold on to it." She said, her voice shaky and sounding totally different from before.
"E-Enoshima?"
She hesitated. I could tell she wanted to tell me something, but it was taking considerable effort.
"Hey. Whatever it is, you don't have to tell me, okay?"
"Sayaka…" She said quietly. I froze. She looked up at me, face drenched with tears. "I haven't felt like this since…" She shivered, looking back at the floor. "Heh… maybe this is what true despair feels like…"
"Despair…" I whispered out loud. "Yeah. That's how I felt when I saw Makoto."
"Makoto…" Enoshima breathed. "Did… did you like him?"
"Did I… like Makoto?"
"Did he like you?"
I couldn't answer either of these questions. I stood up and stared at the door.
"Sorry… maybe that's not the right question…" She looked back up at me. "Did you trust him?" She slowly stood up.
I looked her in the eyes. "With. My. Life."
"And did he trust you?"
I felt tears well in my eyes. "Right until the end." I lied. I gulped. The absolute betrayal on his face… I couldn't bear thinking about it.
Enoshima smiled. "Hmm. That's good. In that case..." She glanced down at her hands, frustrated and deep in thought.
"If you need time alone-" I started, but I was stunned into silence. I watched Enoshima methodically place her hands on her head…
"I can't." She breathed. "Not yet." She looked at the bronze knife and twiddled it expertly in between her fingers.
"Can't what?" I asked, before shaking my head. "What am I saying? Sorry, whatever you need to tell me, you can do so whenever you feel ready."
Enoshima smiled kindly at me. That smile didn't feel forced or part of an act, it felt genuine and heartfelt, like I was fully seeing the real Junko Enoshima. "Thank you." She looked at the knife, unsure of where to put it. In the end, she just held it by her side. "Shall we go, then?"
I nodded and smiled, before walking with her out of the gym and back towards the gym. When I got to Makoto's room, there was a group of people standing outside talking to each other. Kuwata leaned against the wall with a sour expression on his face. I approached him.
"Ugh! I just cannot believe Kirigiri."
"And hello to you too, Kuwata." Enoshima scowled, her diva act in full swing yet again.
"What's up with Kirigiri?" I asked.
"I kept trying to explain to her what happened, but she wouldn't listen. Said to 'save it for the trial' and that I was 'distracting her investigation'." He huffed. "In the end, she practically kicked me out. "Jeez."
"I'm not sure you're in any position to demand attention, Kuwata." Enoshima spat.
I wanted to scold her for that, but really I couldn't. My contempt at Kuwata was still prevalent.
Kuwata scowled and turned his head away, saying nothing.
I turned back to Enoshima. "We should go in." Enoshima nodded, and we walked into Makoto's room, where Ogami and Owada were standing menacingly.
"Hey, back off!" Owada growled. "We're tryna preserve the scene."
"Preserve the scene?" I cried, confused. "But Kuwata has already confessed!"
Ogami sighed. "Let her through. Kirigiri wants to talk with her anyway."
"Kirigiri wants to talk to me?" I said.
Owada tensed his jaw. "Tch. Fine." He stepped aside, and I carefully walked through the crime scene towards Makoto's body, where Kirigiri was examining very closely. Uncomfortably close.
"Um… Kirigiri?" I said.
Kirigiri looked up. "Oh good. You're here." She said with her usual emotionless tone. "Can you run through with me everything you saw last night?"
I started sweating. Kirigiri stared down at me.
"Sorry, I don't mean to intimidate you. If there's anything you need to hide from me, that's fine. We're not at the trial yet."
I nodded. "Okay. Last night I was feeling scared, because of… well, you know…"
Kirigiri nodded. "I am aware. Please, continue."
"I knocked on Makoto's door just around 9pm and he let me in. I told him I was scared and he was sympathetic." I started shaking. "H-he s-suggested that we s-swapped rooms f-for the night."
Kirigiri's face gave no emotion, but I could tell that surprised her. "I see. But the time of death was around 12:30, and it's clear his body wasn't moved. So he must have come back here. Do you know why?"
I nodded. "H-he must have come back out into the h-hall for some reason, and saw Kuwata walk toward his room, where I was staying."
"Why did Kuwata come to Naegi's room?"
I said nothing.
"I see. So you don't know anything, then?"
I shook my head. I couldn't tell her the truth. Not now anyway.
"Interesting." She looked around the room, her eyes scanning the marks left on the wall from the sword. "Naegi only suffered one injury aside from his stab wound and it wasn't bleeding, but there's a lot of blood spread around this room. Are you sure you aren't hiding something?"
I shook my head again.
"Okay." She stood up and walked over to the wall where the sword had struck. "There's been clear signs of a major struggle, but that doesn't line up with Makoto's injuries, and Kuwata seems to be mostly uninjured as well." She looked at me. "You on the other hand…" she grabbed both of my hands, surging pain up my right arm and I shook off her grip. She smiled at me. "I thought so. There's something you're not telling me, is there?"
I didn't respond.
"Well, we can go over everything in the class trial. I can put yours and Kuwata's testimonies against each other and find the truth behind this case."
Ding dong, bing bong!
"Puhuhu…" Monokuma's face appeared on the monitor in Makoto's room. "Have you all had fun with your little investigation? Well if you haven't, TOO BAD!" He laughed. "Please make your way to the red door by the gym as soon as possible, or preferably earlier. Puhuhu! See you soon!"
"What? Already? Owada growled.
"Don't worry, we already have a confession." Enoshima said. "Evidence isn't really all that necessary."
"Don't count your eggs before they hatch." Kirigiri replied. "Kuwata's confession could have been a diversion."
Enoshima looked shocked, as did I. "What the hell do you mean?"
"This is no ordinary situation that we're in. We have to explore every possibility." She looked at me. "Don't worry. I believe I may have already done that."
I shivered. "Don't say that! Now I am worried!"
Kirigiri said nothing and walked out of Makoto's bedroom. And we all gradually followed her one by one to the red door by the gym. Once there, we all stepped onto…
"An elevator?" Asahina asked.
"This looks like a service elevator that you'd find at those fancy hotels." Kuwata said. "Sheesh. What the hell is Monokuma doing?"
I jumped as the elevator suddenly started moving. I lost my balance and grabbed onto Enoshima. "Sorry."
Enoshima looked away. "I-it's fine."
I stood up and brushed myself off. I side-eyed Kuwata, and we made eye contact. He quickly turned away, an angry and guilty expression on his face. Everyone was dead silent as the elevator descended. No-one dared speak, as if they all felt it would disrespect Makoto somehow. After an eternity, the elevator slowed to a halt, and the doors opened. We all walked through a small corridor and into…
"Wha… this looks like a real courtroom!" Ishimaru yelled.
"Puhuhu… I like to keep things real and authentic!" Monokuma laughed, sitting on a raised chair that sat like a throne in the centre of the back end of the room. "Welcome to the grounds for your very first trial!" He laughed gleefully. "Please stand behind the podium with your name on it."
I walked around until I eventually found my podium. To my left stood Ishimaru, looking incredibly frustrated and confused. And to my right stood…
"What the hell's with the picture, Monokuma?" Asahina cried.
"Makoto…" I breathed quietly. For some disgustingly morbid reason, a sign stood behind the podium next to me, with a picture of Makoto's face on it. A large red X was drawn on it, truly solidifying the fact that my best friend was well and truly dead. I turned to Monokuma, fuming.
"Aww, I'd just feel awful if the students couldn't participate in the class trials just because they died!" Monokuma laughed. "So they're here in spirit, quite literally!"
"W-w-wait! You mean Makoto's ghost is here!?" Hagakure screamed. "WAAHHHH!"
"Settle down, Hagakure." Kirigiri said. "There are no ghosts."
"Puhuhu… for now at least." Monokuma said ominously. "But anyway, enough of that! It's time for the class trial!"
The class trial. I stood determinedly at my podium. My best friend, Makoto Naegi, died at the hands of Leon Kuwata, who was currently standing in this very room. In this battle of wits and emotions, I will overcome the despair of losing my friend. We will find justice and make an awful sacrifice for it, but I'm going to continue Makoto's legacy. I will carry his hope with me. I will use that hope to get me through this deadly class trial of despair!
