In this chapter, Maki spends time with some of her fellow students, and Monokuma reveals a motive. Yeah, that's about it.
In case you missed it, I set up a poll on my profile. I say this now since I'm thinking about changing it sometime in October. Again, the polls are just for fun, they aren't going to affect my stories or anything. I just like being able to connect with my readers, even if very indirectly.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 3
The Killing Joke
Maki walked around the massive timer, eyeing every inch of it as well as the statue base it was built upon. She couldn't find any unusual markings or anything of the sort. Not that she was expecting to, anyway. Still, it was impressive how uniform the textures were across the entire surface of the objects.
"Maki, I see you were thinking the same way as I." Byakuya noted. "This area is definitely the most suspicious, isn't it?"
"That it is." She agreed. She ran her hand along the base. "I'll have to ask Kazuichi how hard it would be to set up something like this. I know he's not a construction worker, but he's the closest we got for mechanical questions like that." She pulled a small notepad out of her lab coat and took a note.
"All in one night, at that." He added. "Even if it were built elsewhere and simply erected here, where would they put the crane afterward? And it's not as if there's a curfew, we have free reign of this area, so how would they ensure that none of us just waltzed over and saw them setting it up?"
Maki smirked. "It's almost as if it just appeared out of thin air."
The boy shook his head. "Teleportation, really? And here I thought you would be taking this a bit more seriously. It appears I've overestimated you."
"No, you're right." She chuckled. "Things like teleportation, time travel, and dimension hopping only exist in the realm of sci-fi. They have no business in our everyday world. A more likely explanation would be something like..." She slowly stepped away from the statue and started tapping the stone path with her shoes. "Perhaps this ground is actually hollow, and there's some massive machine just below us. All the mastermind would have to do is flip a switch, and it would swap that Jabberwock statue for this timer."
"That certainly sounds much more plausible. The question from there is, how much power would such a machine require?"
"I dunno, but our rooms have lighting and television, so wherever this island is getting it's power from, it's gotta be efficient."
"Good point." The boy rubbed his plump chin for a moment before meeting her eye. "Maki, tell me, what is your initial impressions of everyone so far? Your talent involves being able to read people, does it not?"
"Well, kinda. Psychology is a really major part of criminology, so I do know a bit about reading minds, so to speak. I'm not poker player, but I can definitely get a handle on someone's psyche, if that's what you want."
"I'm listening."
"Right... Well, Fuyuhiko's got my interest, simply because his talent connects him to a criminal organization. At the moment, though, I don't have a good read on him, given his standoffish nature. Peko seems stoic, but I wouldn't put it past her to commit a murder if push comes to shove. Kazuichi, Mikan, and Teruteru seem to be weak, mentally speaking, so I doubt they'd be able to endure harsh or stressful conditions for extended periods of time, and might be pushed to murder if they snap. Nagito seems to mean well, but in my experiences, people like him would quickly betray you if it serves their needs. That's about it for the criminal side."
"Hmm... It wouldn't be right to do anything with that yet. After all, you can't arrest someone because they could commit a crime. But I will keep an eye on them, just in case. What about the others? Anything to say about them?"
"Well, Mahiru seems nice, if a bit rough. If you need help keeping an eye on everyone, she's probably good with that, being a photographer and all. I'd say Hiyoko is sadistic and self-absorbed, so she might not be the best at the whole teamwork thing. Ibuki is a little hyper, but I think she'll be good to have around for morale purposes. Gundham is quiet, don't quite have him down yet. Nekomaru seems like the gentle giant type. He might be good to have for both morale, and any muscle work we need. Chiaki might not seem attentive, but the reflexes and mental prowess required to play some difficult games might make her a little more useful than she might seem. Akane seems pretty dumb, and I'm pretty sure it's not an act, either. Still, like with Nekomaru, it's good to have some muscle around. Sonia claims to be a figurehead, which might mean she's not a good leader, but she might also be able to help with morale. And finally, there's Hajime. He doesn't seem to stand out in any real way, so I can't gauge his talent, either. Overall, though, I wouldn't say he's dangerous."
"I'll keep all that in mind." He told her. "Do you think you could help me keep tabs on those you listed as possibly dangerous? I don't need you to spy on them, but if one of them starts to lose their head, I'd like to be able to take measures."
"If those are my leader's orders, then I guess I've got no choice."
"Hmph. Well, this isn't a dictatorship. But I'll take that as a yes." The two of them began walking, surveying the area for any clues. "You know, I think you may have a mind for tactics. At the very least, you're good figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of those around you."
She brushed him off. "Oh, none of my observations were anything special. I mean, it's really easy when it comes to Ultimates. All you have to do is consider whether or not a skill is related to their talent or not, and that'll tell you whether or not it's a good fit for them."
"Well, from what I've seen, sometimes that can be quite selective. For example, if I didn't know she was the Ultimate Nurse, I would doubt Mikan would have the proper hand-eye coordination necessary to stitch wounds."
"Good point. Sometimes, people can surprise you." She admitted. "Well, anyways, I don't think we'll get bored on this island. Between all the facilities we have access to, and the fact that we're going to be looking for clues most of the time, I think we have our hands full."
"Indeed. Speaking of, I'll be heading back to the hotel for now. For all we know, the answer may be right under our noses, in a sense."
"Sounds good. I'll check around this park some more. There's also those little mountains with Monokuma's face on them, I might look around there."
"In that case, I'll see you later, Maki." The boy turned and began walking away from the park.
"Yeah, seeya." She briefly wondered just how suspicious he was of her. He seemed perceptive. But she doubted he would be able to figure out the truth about her so quickly.
As the sea breeze washed over her, she took a deep breath and continued on with her work.
Despite the sheer size of each island, there were only a few facilities available. Locations like the airport and ranch took up a lot of space, but the smaller areas such as the beach or even the hotel grounds were spread further away. So, when getting from point A to point B, it usually involved a few minutes of quiet travel time along the road.
These were the idle observations going through Kazuichi's mind as he made his way back from the market. He had never heard of any "Rocketpunch" supermarket chain, but then again, he never really went anywhere besides the supermarket near his old man's bike shop, so it was possible it just passed his notice. Still, the fact remained that the market on this island contained nothing he could use to get out of here.
Doing his best to shake that thought from his mind, he looked at his surroundings. He had passed the beach a little while ago, and could see the ranch coming up in the distance. Damn, He thought. I took the long way around, didn't I?
He pulled out his e-Handbook to check the map. Sure enough, he spent the last twenty minutes walking around the island when it would have taken him five just to walk straight from the market to the hotel. Well, too late to turn back now.
As he turned the e-Handbook off, he felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind. His heart-rate spiked. He jumped away, turning toward the source, screaming and raising his arms defensively. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Okay, I'll admit, not my smartest move." Maki said, backing away, her hands raised in a nonthreatening manner.
"A-Are you trying to kill me!?" He asked.
"No, wasn't planning on it. Trust me, if I was, you wouldn't see it coming."
"No, I mean... Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?"
"Oh. Well, no, I wasn't planning on that, either. I was just crossing the bridge over there and saw you. Figured I'd come and say hello."
"Okay... Well, some advice, you could try and announce yourself next time."
"I'll keep that in mind, Soda Pop."
"I thought I told you not to..." He shook his head, giving up. She was clearly the kind of person you couldn't argue with, or you'd end up going in circles. Now that he was done hyperventilating, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "And here I thought I was doing pretty good for a while there."
"Pretty good?" She repeated with a smirk. "After this morning, when Mahiru had to drag you to breakfast?"
"Okay, well, obviously that didn't look very cool. But can you blame me? We don't know any of these people. What if one of them snaps and tries to kill me? Or what if that Monokuma guy loses interest in this game and just sics those monsters on us? What then?"
"Those are pretty valid concerns. I wouldn't worry about Monokuma, though. I've analysed psychopaths like him. When they have a way they like doing things, they'll hardly ever stray from that method."
"Oh, that's a relief." He deadpanned. "Now I only have to worry about one of my classmates killing me."
"Touche. I can't really disprove that any of them might do something. Still, there's a fine line between being cautious and being paranoid. Trust me, I know paranoid."
The mechanic eyed her up and down. Her composure was rather casual. "Yeah well, doesn't look like it. You seem strangely calm right now."
"Well, obviously. We're out in the open, and you're the only person I can see here. And I know you can't kill me."
"Uh, thanks. But isn't it a little early to be so trusting of each other?"
She laughed. "Oh, Kazuichi..." She stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder, staring him down with her pink and blue eyes. "If you even tried to kill me, I would destroy you."
His blood ran cold at her piercing gaze. The fact that they were alone became the most prominent though in his mind. A few seconds passed before she backed up, smacking him on the forehead. "...Psyche! I'm just messing around. Don't take me so seriously."
"...Oh. Ah... Hahaha..." He tried to force the laughter, but it sounded very weak, so he stopped.
Maki didn't seem to notice, however, and turned to walk down the road toward the hotel. After a few steps, she paused, took out a notepad, and turned back to the boy. "Say, I've got some questions relating to engineering. You think you could answer some of them?"
He sighed. "Y-Yeah, sure. I guess so."
He shakily followed after her, and did his best to answer each of her questions.
As the sun set in the distance, Monokuma made yet another announcement calling everyone to Jabberwock Park. With varying levels of caution and annoyance, the students were forced to obey his command, and slowly made their way to the park. As Nagito arrived, he was greeted with a small stage set up in front of the grand timer, much to his and every other student's confusion. As usual, Hajime was the last to arrive.
"Once again, you're late..." Byakuya scolded. "Did you lose your nerve?... Anyway, it seems everyone is here."
"Ugh, what is it this time...?" Kazuichi asked. "So friggin' annoying..."
"Then you shouldn't have come." Fuyuhiko told him.
"Well... I mean... I don't know what'll happen to me if I don't come..."
"Heh, since none of us know what'll happen, maybe you should be the one to test that out."
"Hey!" Mahiru stepped forward. "You may talk like your tough, wiseguy, but you wouldn't be here unless you were scared, too!"
"What...!?"
"I guess even a big bad yakuza like you must've been scared of that monster, huh?"
"What the fuck did you just say!?"
"S-Stop it, you two." Nagito made his way between them. "Fighting among friends isn't good!"
"What? Did you just say, "friend"?" Fuyuhiko asked. Oh, perhaps that was the wrong word. "I'm not your friend, dumbass! When did I ever become friends with you bastards? Hmph, let me be perfectly clear... I can do it, y'know."
"...Huh?" Several students backed away from him in fear.
"Y-You... What did you just say...?" Mahiru asked.
"Oh? You didn't hear me? Then I'll repeat myself just once for you. I said... I can do it."
"Hey, Fuyuhiko..." Hajime inched forward. "Why don't you calm down for a bit?"
"Don't talk to me like we're friends or something! I live in a completely different world than you bastards... Kill or be killed... That's the kind of world I live in. Heh, the current rules make more sense to me than that "Play nice and get along" crap."
"If you don't stop it right now... I'm going to get seriously angry!" Mahiru threatened.
"Don't treat me like a kid, bitch!"
To the surprise of many, Peko moved to quell the argument. "Just stop already... This kind of fighting will not get us anywhere."
"Shut the hell up!" Fuyuhiko snapped. "There's no way I'm dealing with this Kumbaya crap! If any of you guys wanna die, step forward... I'll fuckin' kill you right now..."
"Sounds fun... Gimme your best shot...!" Akane happily stepped up.
"Wh-What's gonna happen if you're this easily provoked!?" Hajime asked, stopping her.
"Heh, leave it to the yakuza to piss everyone off." Maki remarked.
"Enough!" Byakuya stomped his foot, and everyone quieted down. Nagito smiled. Only a true leader would be able to capture everyone's attention so thoroughly. "Fuyuhiko... I understand what you're saying. I do not intend to dismiss your feelings. There was a time when I also thought the same way as you..."
"...Are you treating me like a kid, too!?"
"But what would reckless killing accomplish? If you fail to get away with it, you know you'll be executed... Or perhaps... that's what you really want? If so... You'd only be killing yourself to run away from this predicament. That's what a child would do."
"Wh-What did you say...!?"
"Listen!" Byakuya turned to address the group. "So long as we're here, I will not let any of you die! I will not let any of you become a victim! And that goes for you, too, Fuyuhiko. I won't let you die!"
"Wh-What the hell...? Everything you're saying... it's just empty promises!"
"It's true my words would ring hollow if anyone else spoke them... But I am Byakuya Togami, and I am destined to bring these promises to fruition."
"Yowza! He's sooooo cool!" Ibuki squeed.
"Mmhmhm, I agree!" Teruteru marveled. Nagito had to agree with them, as well.
"Heh... I don't care what you say. I'm just gonna do whatever I feel like..."
"Do what you will." Byakuya accepted. "However, remember what I said earlier. "I will not let any of you become a victim." That is the duty I have appointed to myself."
"Tch...!"
Several students sighed in relief as it seemed the conflict was resolved. Nagito took a second to wonder how well Byakuya would operate when his promise was challenged.
Then Monokuma showed up, wearing a suit. Everyone freaked out once again. "Um... It looked like you guys were arguing... so I wasn't sure when to actually show up... It looks like I showed up as an awkward time!"
"...Why... are you dressed like that?" Chiaki asked.
"Oh, didn't I mention it in my recent broadcast? It's my costume for the fun time!"
Peko's eyes widened. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to..."
"That's right! Since we're on a tropical island, I'm here to do my two-man comedy routine!"
"Wh-Why does it matter that we're on a tropical island?" Mikan asked.
"But can you do a two-man comedy routine all by yourself?" Sonia wondered.
"Of course not. That's why I brought my partner." He gestured to his side, where Monomi suddenly appeared, wearing a cute pink dress.
"Ha-wa-wa! What is this!?"
"Hmm, that figures..." Nekomaru said.
"Now then, without further ado, I'm pleased to present "Monokuma's Side-Splitting Live Two-Man Comedy Show"!"
"Huh? I didn't hear anything about this! Are you telling me I have to improvise!?"
"...I'm speechless." Gundham said. Everyone took this as a bad sign.
With that, both stuffed animals went up to the stage and stood behind the microphone.
"Hellooooooooooo, I'm Monokuma!"
"Um... I'm Monomi...!"
"And together we are The Monokumas!" They announced in unison.
"Now, I know it's sudden, but I guess I should show you guys my amazing mind-reading abilities!" Monokuma decided.
"Eh? You can read minds!?"
"As practice, I'll guess your favourite food. Hmmm... Your favourite food is..."
"You can do it! It's obvious what rabbits like!"
"Ca..."
"That's right."
"...davers!"
"I'd never eat a dead body!" Her voice was drowned out, however, by the sound of a laugh track coming from the speakers.
Maki groaned. "Well, I'll give him this: My urge to kill is definitely increasing."
"Now then... Monomi's up next! C'mon, do a short skit or something!"
"Wh-What!? There's no way I can do that!"
"No worries, it's all good. I know a technique to summon the God of Comedy. Sooooo... which do you think is better? Taking blood while you're still alive, or after you're already dead?"
"Why would you ask such a cruel question!?"
"If I'm gonna summon the Comedeity, then I'll need a lot of blood."
"So a god of comedy wants blood..."
"Hngh! Pretty please!?"
"No matter how charmingly you ask, there's no way I'll let you take my blood!"
"You're always so quick to make a scary face, Monomi. You guys better be careful, too. Ya know, since Monomi's actually a bad guy... She's as bad as the first villain the hero fights in a teen manga!"
"They're always the underdog!"
"Believe me, it's a fact that Monomi's a villain. I'll let you all in on a little secret of hers... Monomi... went out of her way to erase your memories!"
"Say what!?" The laugh track played once again, but it was clear from Monokuma's tone and Monomi's reaction that he wasn't joking. "...Wait, huh?"
"You guys don't even remember how you got to this island, am I right? Well, that's because Monomi stole your memories!"
"Wh-What are you saying all of a sudden!?"
"But wait, there's more! She didn't just steal your boring memories, like how you guys got to this island. She completely took away your memories of the years you spent at Hope's Peak Academy! What a shocker!"
"...Ha-wa-wa!"
"Phew... I feel great now that I've shared that with you. Seriously, memory loss plots are so old hat nowadays, like those dumb self-insert isekai stories... Only a total hack would wait until the end of the story to reveal a cliched twist like that!"
"P-Please stop!"
"Puhuhu... Wasn't that a huge surprise? In truth, you guys aren't freshmen students at all. You guys just thought you were because you've lost all your school memories! Quick, someone get a plagiarist because I feel like I've heard this story before!"
As the laugh track played once more, Monomi cried out, "S-Seriously, this is bad in so many ways!"
"I'm through dealing with you!" Monokuma growled, spinning and colliding his open paw right into her face.
"GYAAAAAAH! His backhand is far too powerful!"
The students all stared, unsure if they heard him right. Eventually, Nagito spoke up. "...Wh-What did he mean?"
"Memories... stolen...?" Maki muttered. "So, Hajime isn't the only one."
"How was it?" Monokuma asked, stepping off the stage and removing his suit. "Was it funny? Or was the comedy too high-brow for you?"
"Hey... What were you saying just now?" Byakuya asked.
"What was I saying just now... Oh, you mean when I said that your school memories were completely stolen?"
"Aha... hahaha... There's no way..." Ibuki forced herself to laugh. "Cause... I just entered Hope's Peak Academy, and then I was brought to this island... right away..."
"That's because that's how you remember it. All thanks to Monomi stealing your school memories..."
"Wh-What are you saying!? That's impossible!" Hajime argued.
"Man... how many years has it been since you guys first entered Hope's Peak Academy...? I wonder what happened to your friends and family? They're probably worried sick about you... Maybe?"
"Our school memories were stolen!? That's ridiculous!" Nekomaru insisted.
"That's right! There's no way I have memory loss!" Kazuichi agreed.
"D-Don't... don't listen to what he says..." Monomi begged them, recovering from the earlier attack and removing her dress.
"Blub-blub-blub-blub... Limit breached..." Ibuki whimpered.
"I refuse to believe such a thing." Teruteru decided. "Yep, everything's okay... I don't believe it..."
"Y-You're lying, right...?" Mikan asked. "Stealing our memories... that's a lie, right? You're just trying to make fools out of us, right...?"
"Nope, it's not a lie." Monokuma said, laughing to himself. "If it was a lie... then how do you explain this? The moment you arrived at Hope's Peak Academy, you all experienced a strange dizziness..."
"Wha-!?" Hajime jumped. "H-How... do you know that?"
"Puhuhu... Why, that was the cut-off point. Your memories beyond that point have been completely removed."
"Wh-What the hell...!?"
"So... a long time has passed... since then...?" Mikan asked.
"I-Impossible! There's no way!" Nekomaru argued.
"On the contrary... why is it impossible?"
Nagito shook his head. "Whether or not it's possible... there's no way we can believe it." Even given how unbelievable the rest of the situation was, they just couldn't adjust so quickly to the ridiculousness.
"You just don't want to believe it, right? But don't worry... I'm a generous guy! I can give you back your memories!"
"...Huh!?" Monomi jumped.
"However... there's a catch."
Chiaki held her breath. "Don't tell me the catch is..."
"Puhuhu... figured it out yet? That's right, you guys have to kill each other! That's my bargaining point!"
"Ha-wa-wa!"
"You guys wanna know, right? You want your school memories returned to you, right? Then you better start killing! A penny for your thoughts, and a murder for your memories!"
"Hey... Stop runnin' your mouth." Akane demanded.
"My, my... why so angry? I'm just providing you all a motive from the bottom of my big, generous heart! Otherwise, you cowards wouldn't get any killing done! Well, that's not your fault. Humans are natural born cowards. They even cry after their mom squeezes 'em out. That's why I'm giving you a motive. Think of it as an excuse to commit your future crimes."
"S-Stop this at once...!" Byakuya demanded. "Do you really think your delusional rambling will convince us to commit murder...?" It seemed Nagito would get an answer to his earlier question on how well Byakuya would respond to having his promises challenged.
"I don't even believe that memory loss crap in the first place!" Mahiru insisted.
"But more than that, what you guys really don't believe is each other, right?"
"Wh-What do you mean...!?"
"You guys don't know each other. Which means... None of you realize that a traitor is hiding among you, right?"
"Huh...?"
"Hey, why are there seventeen of you?" The bear asked rhetorically. "If Hope's Peak classes are supposed to be comprised of exactly sixteen students... That's right! There's probably a traitor I don't even know about hiding among your group!... Just kidding."
"Wh-What are you saying..." Fuyuhiko asked. "All this shit about traitors doesn't make any sense!"
"...It's obviously nonsense." Peko decided.
"For real, you guys... How can you be so sure? You guys don't know anything about each other. You don't know each other's true natures. That's why, if one of you is planning to kill someone, it's impossible for any of you to know. Even so... if there really is a traitor, isn't that gosh darn awful? Pretending to be your ally and tricking you guys... It makes sense for someone like that to get killed, right? C'mon, make the preemptive strike! It's first come, first served and the winner takes all! If you want to survive, you gotta find that person before they find you... Aaaaahahahahaha!" With that, he disappeared, his laughter echoing across the park. Everyone exchanged fear-fueled glances.
"Is it true...?" Mikan asked. "Is there really a traitor among us...? Ah! It's not me by the way! I know I may look suspicious but... it's not me!"
"Who is it!?" Nekomaru shouted. "Hurry up and show yourself! You're only making things worse for you by staying silent!"
"...Just stop. There's no way there's a traitor." Byakuya decided. "There's no way... It's pointless to even discuss something so foolish."
"Th-That's right... I don't believe it..." Teruteru agreed. "Because there's no way I can believe it... There's no reason in the first place to believe it..."
"Monomi... you would know." Peko realized.
"...Huh!?"
"Is what Monokuma said true? About our memory loss... And about the traitor...?"
"Um... I mean... Everyone needs to look to the future... That's why... you shouldn't look back to the past... Keep your eyes fixed upon the future. L-Let's do our very best!" Closing up with fear, Monomi turned and disappeared.
"Ah, she ran away!" Akane shouted.
"Hmph, how ridiculous..." Fuyuhiko scoffed. "Memory loss... A traitor... it's completely fictional... I can't deal with this bullshit, dumbass!"
At that moment, the monitors sparked to life, and Monokuma's voice announced, "Ahem! Hope's Peak Academy School Trip Executive Committee has an announcement to make... It is now 10:00 p.m. Please return to your rooms and relax. Let the sound of the ocean gently rock you to sleep. Now the, sweet dreams everyone. Good niiiiight..."
The students stood around in silence for a moment. Chiaki broke it. "...Hey, what should we do?"
"It's better if we call it a night here." Byakuya decided. "We should get some sleep... and try to keep our minds calm."
"I guess... you're right."
"Just so you all know... Do not think about unnecessary things. This is your leader's orders. Tomorrow morning... let's meet at the restaurant after Monokuma's morning announcement."
"How troubling..." Sonia sighed. "I think the saying goes, "I am frightened so stiff...""
Teruteru stared down at the ground. "...I feel pretty stiff right now, too."
Kazuichi approached Sonia. "That's... not how that saying goes... B-But it's not her fault! She's a foreigner after all..."
One by one, each of the students left the park and headed for the hotel. Nagito hung back to watch them all leave, gauging their reactions.
After a minute, the only person left in the park with him was Maki. She was staring at the stage, a hand on her chin. She muttered, "A traitor, huh...?"
"Hey, Maki, are you coming? It's probably not safe to be out during nighttime."
She nodded, turning to him. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm coming."
Together, in silence, they walked back to the hotel.
Oh boy, a motive. I wonder how Maki is going to deal with this. Speaking of Maki, you may notice that her "free time" sections aren't done the same as Albert's were. I decided it'd be a little odd to do it the same way, since the perspectives are different this time around. Albert mainly hung around with Chihiro, and only had a few conversations with some of the others. This was because you could easily gauge his relationships with everyone just from his commentary. On the other hand, we rarely see what Maki is thinking, so I'll be trying to show her relationships with each of the others as we go along. Kinda like how some stories from Makoto's perspective try to balance his free time with everyone.
In the next chapter, we'll see if anyone falls victim to this motive.
