We all stood dumbfounded as the curtain was lowered and the fake stage destroyed. Witnessing such an obscure death like that, nothing could ever make me forget that.

"Such a shame, really. Someone couldn't cut free of their regrets from the outside world, and so more people had to die." Monokuma sounded sad. "You guys are still young! You need to place more value on your lives!"

"You're the one who put us in this position in the first place!" Asahina growled.

"And here I thought you were gonna pass the torch of hope onto the next generation!" Monokuma winked. "Oops! I probably shouldn't say that word in front of Maizono! She might remember poor old Naegi and his tragic death! Oh, why did he have to die so young…"

"Sh-shut up!" I growled. "I swear to god, we will get out of here!"

"Well, what is there to say! You're all the embodiment of hope, whether you like it or not! As it is my solemn duty to rain despair upon this earth, I will knock you down one by one!" He laughed. "It's sad, yes it is. But it's reality, and it cannot be avoided."

"How much longer do we have to go through this!? What do you want from us!?" I screamed.

"How many times do I have to tell you? All I want is your sweet, sweet despair." Monokuma said impatiently. "Anyway, Miss Kirigiri, did I see you get some kind of key-thing from Celeste? What's the deal with that?"

Kirigiri said nothing.

"Oh come on, don't give me the silent treatment! Talk to me." Monokuma said sweetly, as if his soothing words would somehow persuade her.

"I'll answer your question, if you answer mine." Kirigiri said.

"Oh?"

"What did you do?" Kirigiri asked. "What did you… do to me?"

"Wah wah?" Monokuma feigned ignorance.

"Answer me. What did you do to my body?" Kirigiri sounded strong and determined. She knew she was onto something.

"Uwaaah! Jeez, oh man- oh jeez- ah! What do you mean, what did I do!?" Monokuma looked flustered. "I have no idea! I don't know anything about it!"

Kirigiri turned away.

I was confused. The mastermind… did something to Kirigiri? To her body? Did he… alter her somehow?

"Okay, well, things are getting kinda awkward. Best I leave. You guys just need to focus on continuing your communal life!" Monokuma gave those departing words and disappeared.

"Anyway, about that key Celeste gave you…" I asked Kirigiri.

"It's a key to one of the pool lockers." She said quietly.

I gasped.

"Then that means-" Asahina started to say.

"Celeste probably hid it in there." Togami said.

"It? What on earth are you guys talking about?" Junko asked.

"So you don't know after all." Togami said. "Well, you're in luck. It's about time you make yourself acquainted with it."

"Acquainted? What?" Junko said.

"No more questions. Your disappearance these past few days was a major cause for concern. Until we can learn to trust you, you should do as I say, got it?" Togami said.

"I thought your whole deal was that we shouldn't trust each other." Asahina shrugged.

"I hate you so fucking much, Togami." Junko said through gritted teeth.

"Come on, Junko. Let's get out of here." I said, grabbing her hand and taking her towards the elevator.

We each filed into the elevator one by one, not saying a word. I glanced over at Kirigiri, who stood straight ahead without looking. She kept an iron grip on that key, as if losing it was losing life itself. Which I guess was the case. Alter Ego was our only ticket out of here. If we lost that, it would be all over. After the elevator finally came to a stop, we exited through the red door and back into the school. Keeping a safe distance from each other, we slowly walked into the bathhouse, staggering our numbers to not make it not obvious. As a result, Junko and I were the last to walk in, and everyone was waiting for us.

"Okay. Ready?" Kirigiri said. "I'm about to open it."

Junko looked around at her surroundings. "I see… That's why you're being so secretive."

Kirigiri nodded and opened the locker using the key Celeste had given her before she died. In it sat the laptop, and Chihiro's face came beaming through on the screen.

"You really came! I was so good, I made sure to stay completely quiet!" Alter Ego said.

"Ah!" Junko cried, recoiling backwards. "Fujisaki!?"

"This is what Chihiro left us after she died." I whispered to Junko. "An AI that's just like her."

Kirigiri spared no moments. "What's the progress on the files?" She typed on the keyboard.

"Oh!" Alter Ego said. "I've managed to decrypt a few of them. It's going to take more time to open all of them."

"Good work, Alter Ego. Can you tell us anything about the files you were able to unlock?"

"Ah, before I answer that, can I ask something?" Alter Ego said. "Where is everybody? It seems your numbers have dwindled quite significantly, discounting the new face."

Junko waved awkwardly at the laptop. Alter Ego giggled.

Kirigiri hesitated for a brief moment, then typed out bluntly: "Ishimaru and Yamada are dead. Celeste killed them and has been executed."

"Oh…" Alter Ego said sadly. "I… was kinda worried that was the case… Celeste was acting very strangely when she talked to me yesterday…"

Kirigiri furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmm… Alter Ego is able to recognise emotion and behaviour as complex as that. This AI is developing quickly."

"You should have seen what it did to help Ishimaru." I said quietly. "I know it was bad of me to take him to Alter Ego, but it was pretty incredible."

Kirigiri gave me a stern look. "Yes. Indeed."

"Which is why we can't afford to lose such a valuable asset." Togami said. "Kirigiri, I take it you're still leaving your door open?"

"You're leaving what!?" Junko cried.

"It's okay, Junko. Kirigiri can handle it." I said.

Kirigiri nodded, and then turned back to Alter Ego. "Please tell us about the files."

"Right, of course." Alter Ego smiled. "Oh, reanalysing my data has determined that all the files I have obtained I already relayed to you, such as information about the school's closure, and the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy."

Kirigiri nodded.

"However, the progress on the other files has almost come to a close. Some may be available as early as tomorrow."

"Phew, that's a relief." Hagakure said. "Anyway. I'm gonna head to the dining hall for some dinner. See ya!" Hagakure slowly trudged out of the bathhouse.

"Why's he leaving so soon?" Asahina asked.

"He probably worked out that us all leaving the bathhouse together would be suspicious, so he's taken the initiative to be the first one to leave." Togami explained.

"Oh, I should probably go too then… Sakura?" Asahina said.

"No, we should wait a little longer. Alter Ego might have more to say." Ogami said kindly.

Alter Ego shook her head. "No, I'm afraid there isn't any more information I can provide for you at this point. I'm sorry…" She looked downcast.

"Why is an AI apologising?" Junko asked.

"That's just like Chihiro…" I said solemnly.

"In that case, we should go." Ogami said. "Syo, you should come with Asahina and I. We're going to have tea in the dining hall."

"What what what what what!?" Syo shrieked. "What business could you have moi?" Syo glared at Ogami and brandished her scissors. "I don't want anything to do with you, anyhow! I only want to be with Master!" She fawned over at Togami and started making kissy faces.

Togami sighed heavily. "No, I think you should take her on that offer." Togami scowled, turning away from Syo. "You could use some proper social interaction. Away from me."

"Ooohhohohooo!" Syo giggled. "I see, I see, welp! I shall oblige, my adorableness!" She left the bathhouse, Ogami and Asahina following her.

"Jesus Christ…" Togami sighed.

Togami now being the only other person in the bathhouse aside from Kirigiri and Junko weirded me out a little, so I kept my distance from him. After waiting several seconds, Togami turned and left the bathhouse without a word.

Kirigiri breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just so glad Alter Ego is safe."

"How long has this been here?" Junko asked. "I thought this laptop was a piece of junk."

"Chihiro was gradually fixing it. After she got the laptop to work, she must have taken it in here to complete the final stages of her AI programming. She told me a little bit about it before she died." I said.

"Wow." Junko blinked. "Fujisaki really made this…"

"As Togami said, it's imperative that Alter Ego remains safe until we complete the file decryption." Kirigiri said. "We finally might be able to unravel the mystery behind this school. The mastermind would be brought to their knees."

"The mastermind would be brought to their knees?" Junko said.

"Yes. If this laptop has files from Hope's Peak Academy staff, it might have leads on who took over the school and turned it into a prison." Kirigiri explained. "We just have to hope it all works out."

"Hope…" Junko said softly. "I see…"

"Junko, are you feeling okay?" I asked. "You seem… out of it."

"Ah- of course. I'm fine." Junko said hurriedly.

"Okay then." Kirigiri said sharply. "You should explain where you've been."

"Wha- what? No- Why should I?" Junko spluttered. "I was just- in my room."

"For three whole days?" Kirigiri said.

"Hey, just-"

"Stop it, Kirigiri." I said. "You're being too forceful."

Kirigiri frowned at me. "Alright."

"But… she's right, Junko." I said sadly. "After I… said all that stuff, you just took off suddenly and I didn't see you for so long. I thought you were dead! I was… worried about you."

"Worried… about me?" Junko asked. "Oh… I see…" Once again, her diva act completely dropped. She seemed much more timid now.

"It's important that we all trust and believe in one another." I smiled, feeling tears beginning to form in my eyes. "It's what Makoto would have wanted."

"Makoto... " Junko said softly.

"Naegi…" Kirigiri said sadly.

The air suddenly felt heavy in the bathhouse. None of us said a word for the longest time. I stared at Junko, my eyes searching through hers, desperately looking for the truth hidden behind those pale grey irises.

"Okay… I'll… trust you both." Junko breathed heavily. "I'll tell you. In the boys bathroom on the second floor, there's a hidden passage at the back of the storage closet. In there is a bunch of files connected to the school. Yearbooks, stuff like that. I haven't been able to go through it all yet, but I believe they may be just as vital to us getting out as Alter Ego is."

"I see." Kirigiri thought for a moment. "I've been in there myself, slowly investigating. That shelf would take weeks to search through everything."

"You know about it?" I asked, gobsmacked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A secret passage in the boys' bathroom?

"Maizono, you should take a look. See if you can discover any new clues." Kirigiri looked at me with a commanding look on her face.

"Me? Why?" I cried.

"We should all trust and believe in one another, correct?" Kirigiri smiled. "I trust you to do this. And after that, we can learn to trust Enoshima too."

Junko gulped. "Yeah. I… I wasn't ready to present this information. I found it the same day I... " She glanced at me. "Walked out of your room. I had to search the school, clear my head, and that's when I found it. It was difficult for my mind to process everything. I'm sorry, Sayaka." Mascara began to run down Junko's eyes and she started crying.

"Thank you, Junko." I said.

"For now, we should leave and get some rest. It's been a very long day." Kirigiri said.

I nodded. "Shall we go, Junko?"

Junko smiled and took my hand. "Of course." We all left the bathhouse and went back to our respective rooms.

I waited several hours. Despite my intense need for sleep, I made sure to stay awake. After a while, I checked my eHandbook to see that it was midnight. I got up from my bed and exited my bedroom. Now that Celeste was gone, I felt less guilty about leaving my bedroom during nighttime. Not that anyone listened to her rules anyway. I crept past Kirigiri's room, seeing that her door was in fact ajar. When I felt like I was far enough away from her room to avoid waking her, I quickened my pace and briskly walked through the school area. I kept a nervous eye on the cameras, but they didn't seem like they were tracking me. I walked up the stairs to the second floor. I timidly walked into the boys bathroom. I was met with the sickening yellow-green walls. I recoiled as I remembered the nightmare I had about Junko and what happened in this bathroom… Was that dream telling me to come here? Why? And why do it in such an ominous way? I had to shake off the anxiety I was feeling. I went inside the storage closet at the back of the bathroom. It seemed like a perfectly normal storage closet. I almost didn't believe what Junko said. I had to confirm it for myself. Not expecting anything to happen, I placed my hand on the wall at the back and pushed. With very little effort it swung open like a revolving door, and I stumbled through it, barely regaining my balance.

"Ow!" I winced quietly, shaking my hand. Clearly my wrist had not yet fully healed. Hardly surprising, since it happened a little over a week ago. I sighed deeply.

Inside the hidden room, it seemed Junko wasn't lying. An abundance of files were all packed neatly on the bookshelf. Some papers were strewn about on a desk that sat in the middle of the room. In the corner on the left-hand side there was a port to fit an ethernet cord. I looked at the mass of documents placed within this room. Where would I even start? I shuffled through the papers on the desk, looking for anything noteworthy. A small slip of paper slipped out and fell onto the floor. Curious, I picked it up and read the note.

"You must not leave here." I read aloud. "What on Earth could that mean?" I whispered to myself. Unfortunately, I would have no time to search through the rest of the files, as I suddenly felt a heavy impact on the back of my head and collapsed to the floor.

I woke up in a daze. My head ached horrendously.

"Ow…." I moaned quietly. I rubbed the back of my head gently, shocked when I felt something wet. "Oh man… it's bleeding… I hope I don't get brain damage…" I slowly got to my feet and examined my surroundings. I hadn't been moved by my assailant to another room, as I was still in the hidden room behind the utility closet, but I noticed one major difference. "No!" I cried softly. All the files that once lined the shelves had all been confiscated. I stomped my foot angrily. "Dammit! The mastermind must have seen me come in here and knocked me out… Clearly there was something in those files they didn't want me to see." I thought carefully about the note I read before I had been attacked. "You must not leave here…" I breathed aloud. "How ominous." The note specifically said "must not", as if it were desperately instructing me to obey it. But why? Was there something really horrible going on outside of Hope's Peak Academy? How much worse could it be that I would prefer to stay trapped in this school? In this killing game? I could feel my brain begin to pulsate with immense pain as I tried to think about it. Wincing, I made my way out of the utility closet and exited the bathroom. Staggering slightly, I descended the stairs down onto the first floor, where I heard a strange noise.

"Whack! Pow! Thump! Thud! Crash!"

"Huh?" I moaned quietly. My head injury was proving difficult for me to process anything. I surreptitiously walked towards the gym, the sounds getting louder as I progressed. I could hear muffled voices coming from the other side of the gym. It sounded like two people fighting? If so, the attacks must have been really powerful. Ambling past the display case, I gave it a quick glance. My stomach sank as I remembered the golden sword I had given to Makoto. I shook my head. I approached the gym door and opened it a crack and peeped inside, and what I saw was unlike anything I had ever seen.

"BAM! THUD! WHACK! CRASH!"

Ogami was in a fierce battle with… Monokuma!? Neither of them seemed to pull their punches, firing fiercely at one another with enough strength to cave in the giant door in the main hall. After a few seconds, Monokuma stopped. He straightened himself up and pointed at Ogami.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Monokuma growled, an anger in his voice unlike anything he had mustered beforehand. "This wasn't part of the deal! What's your plan!? What's your goal!? WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, SISTER!?"

Ogami drew back her shoulders. Unlike Monokuma's intense wrath, Ogami's face bore a stone cold sheet of determination. "I've made a decision. I will no longer retreat, no longer compromise, no longer regret. I've made my decision. I'm going… to resist you!"

What on Earth is happening? None of this makes any sense…

"Hmm... Okay." Monokuma said bluntly. "But… you do realise what will happen if you go through with this, right? I can't guarantee what will happen next. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Ogami stared at Monokuma.

"Hmph. Have you already forgotten? If you continue your defiance, I cannot guarantee the safety of the… hostages." Monokuma put strong emphasis on the last word, to its desired effect.

"Hhh!" Ogami cried suddenly, her voice caught in her throat. I had never seen her so thoroughly terrified.

I slowly backed out of the gym before I could be noticed, thinking carefully about what just transpired. A deal? Hostages? Ogami's defiance? Then, the spy we've been looking for, the spy for the mastermind, it had to be her. Ogami was working for the mastermind.