Woah, hey there. Long time no see. I wanted to get this chapter up at least a week ago but... well, my schedule slipping has kind of become the norm. On top of being an "essential worker" and having a job, the amount of rewrites I've had to do is insane by my standards. Still, here's a nice long chapter for you, and the next couple should be out before the end of the week. Though I'd probably recommend re-reading the previous one first, just to refresh your memory.

As if being gone for the past... wait, lemme count... eight-and-a-half weeks, wasn't bad enough on it's own, I predict this chapter to be pretty divisive. First of all, this chapter (and the next few) is a "Maki chapter," as in, most of the focus is on her. This sounds fun, but the issue is, since we're only like halfway through the story, it's too early for any big, game-changing reveals. She drops a ton of hints, but doesn't actually say anything. So I can see people getting upset on the topics she does talk about, mostly her plans for the future and some personal information.

And secondly, well... It's no secret we're approaching the next murder (since the whole reason I disappeared was to write the three chapters in a row), so I think someone might dislike my choice for the murder this time around. I mean, I'm far from perfect, so a lot of my mysteries are lacking, and this time I'm carrying the "third case curse" again.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 21

Cardiac Arrest

Hajime walked into the hospital early the next morning, and was greeted by both Maki and Fuyuhiko.

"Yo, you came early today." Fuyuhiko noted.

His eyes looked between them. "...You're the ones who're early."

"Well, we just got here..." He explained. "So what should we do? There's still a little time before we need to make contact. Wanna go to Nagito's room and check up on him?"

"Yeah... I'm worried about how he's doing."

The three of them walked down the hall to the patient room he was staying at. They found Mikan inside, quietly working away as she was the night before, but she seemed paler than usual, and her eyes were bloodshot.

"...Mikan, how's Nagito doing?" Hajime asked.

Her head snapped in their direction. "Same as usual... no, actually, he might be worse than yesterday."

"Tch, are you fucking serious...!?" Fuyuhiko groaned.

"His pulse is extremely weak... He might... slip into critical condition sometime today."

"I-Is he... that sick...?" Hajime asked.

"But... as long as I'm his nurse... I will never let Nagito die... Ever."

"I do understand how you feel but... don't overexert yourself, okay?"

"Hajime's right." Maki finally said. "Since you can't get any rest at night, you should get as much as you can during the day. The rest of us will try to keep things under control, and we'll wake you if there's an emergency. Does that sound fine?"

"Y-Yes... Thank you." She gave a soft smile.

"Hey guys... it's almost time to start the broadcast." Fuyuhiko pointed out. "We need to head over to the lobby..."

"Yeah, got it..." Hajime turned to join him.

"You two go on ahead." Maki told them. "We should have someone keeping an eye on Nagito at all times. Like Mikan said, he could slip into critical at any moment."

The group once again split up, with Maki watching the patients, Mikan going upstairs to rest, and Hajime and Fuyuhiko heading to the lobby.

As they arrived, they heard a familiar voice on the radio. "This is Byakuya Togami. Do you read me?"

"Looks like they're already waiting." Fuyuhiko noted.

Hajime stepped over and picked up the mic. "We read you loud and clear."

"It's clear on our end as well. It seems this might be a good long-term arrangement, after all."

"...Hey, are you the only one over there?" Hajime asked.

Suddenly, Chiaki's voice came through. "Nope... we're all here."

Hajime nodded, which didn't get through, and decided to tell his audience, "Well, things aren't looking good over here. To tell you the truth, Nagito's actually in serious danger."

"He's seriously wandering the border between life and death." Fuyuhiko emphasized.

"...What did you say?" Gundham's voice asked.

"First Nekomaru, and now Nagito... this isn't good..." Byakuya muttered.

"But... he is going to be okay, right? Nagito is going to get better?" Sonia's voice asked.

"Well... for now, we really can't say." Hajime said.

"You really can't say...? That's impossible!" Monomi's voice came through the radio, surprising everyone.

"Monomi! How are you on this line!?"

"She's not just on the line, she's here with us." Byakuya explained.

"Cuz... it'd be dangerous if I got close to the hospital, since I don't even know what's going on there..."

"You... are really pissing me off." Fuyuhiko warned.

"Why does a stupid stuffed animal even need to be cautious about a disease!?" Hiyoko asked from the other side.

"P-Please don't discriminate! That Despair Disease is horrible... It's a dangerous disease that can even destroy this island. So... until we figure out how to deal with it... I will be on this side..."

Fuming, Fuyuhiko took the radio and switched it off. Hajime slowly set down the mic.

"That shitty stuffed animal!" Fuyuhiko spat. "She seriously pissed me off! Argh, dammit... I'm going outside to cool off..."

He stormed out the door, leaving Hajime all alone inside the hospital lobby.

And so the second day of quarantine was off to a fantastic start.


The day, much like the day before, flew by the students. Their only constant was that, as time moved forward, they became more and more drained, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

As evening approached, things began to settle down. The infected tried to get to sleep, so the only real concern was Nagito. Maki and Fuyuhiko stood just outside his door, keeping watch on his condition while Hajime and Mikan rested upstairs.

"So, uh..." She started awkwardly.

"What's up?" Fuyuhiko asked. His expression was serious.

She was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'll be honest, I wanted to try and make small-talk, but I'm not even sure what to talk about."

He chuckled halfheartedly. "Yeah, we don't really got anything to talk about. Right now, the only thing you and I got in common is that we're exhausted."

"Yeah... I don't know, maybe we could take bets on which one of us catches the Despair Disease next."

"That sounds... needlessly depressing."

"Hey, it's better to poke fun at our situation than give into despair, right? Then again, that sounds like something Nagito would say."

They were quiet for a moment before Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Fuck, I dunno... I guess, looking at it logically, Mikan's the most likely, right? She's spending the most time with them."

Maki felt her stomach turn at the thought. "Right, yeah. I guess that's an unfair comparison. Alright, out of the three of us, who do you think's catching it first?"

He snorted. "Definitely Hajime, considering how "close-quarters" he's been with Mikan."

"I guess I walked into that one." She rolled her eyes before they turned toward the stairs. "Were they really... you know, sleeping together, last night?"

He shrugged, and answered slowly. "I mean, they were both in the same bed, by themselves, in the dark, but they had their clothes on. If Hajime denies it, I'll believe him. I'm just fuckin' with him at this point." He paused and eyed her. "Why do you ask, anyway? Jealous?"

"Heh, quite the opposite, actually. I wish I could meet more people like me..."

"Like you? In what way?"

She smirked. "What, aside from the fact that I'm basically perfect?" Her bravado faltered. "Well... I just get grossed out by stuff like that. You know... erotic stuff."

"...Didn't you hang out with Teruteru because you thought he was funny?"

"I thought he was funny in a "haha, look at the virgin trying to be a smooth flirt" way. It reminded me of my younger self, if you could believe it. And saying I "hung out" with him is an exaggeration, the only time I was alone with him was before the party."

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll admit, I didn't pay much attention to what everyone was doing the first few days..." His expression made it seem like he wouldn't mind avoiding that subject.

The two of them slowly made their way to the lobby. "In any case... I was always told I just didn't get it because I was young, but I'm basically an adult now and nothing's changed. I've had crushes, even a couple lovers, but I've never thought about..." She trailed off awkwardly.

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"Good question. I don't know. I've been getting more talkative, I guess. I mean, I was prone to long paragraphs of monologue before, but now I... keep finding myself wanting to express myself more. It's kinda like Nekomaru said a few days ago; something about the others here is tearing down my walls. Does that make sense to you?"

"I think so. I guess situations like this have a way of bringing people together." He said dryly.

"Well, I'm sure as a yakuza, you've seen some pretty nasty situations in the past. Or at least, some subordinates did?"

"You trying to analyze me now?"

"It is kind of my job."

"Good point. You know, when you think about it, it's a pretty big coincidence that a criminologist and the heir to a yakuza clan both ended up in the same class, huh?"

"Yeah. I suppose you would want me to give up on my dream, since it would basically put you out of business."

"You mentioned that before, didn't you? During the last trial. What is this dream, anyway?"

Her look became distant, as if she was looking at something far beyond the walls of the hospital. "As the Ultimate Criminologist, I plan to earn myself a place in the history books by reducing Japan's crime rate to zero."

"...You know that's impossible, right?"

She nodded, not in agreement but in acknowledgement. "Japan's conviction rate is currently in the late-90 percents. This means that, innocent or guilty, if you are taken to court, there is more than a 90% chance of you being rendered guilty. True criminals will exploit flaws in the system such as this. After all, if you aren't the one initially arrested and tried, then there's more than a 90% chance of you never having to worry about the consequences of that crime again. That would be where I would focus my efforts, first. I'll revolutionize Japan's investigation teams and court systems, to ensure that innocent people will almost always go free, and criminals will almost always face justice for their actions. Then, I'll focus on taking down large organizations, such as your clan. Without the big dogs to cling onto, we'll be able to slowly stamp out the runts. By ensuring that every citizen in the country is aware of how severe and, most importantly, certain the consequences for crime are, they'll think twice before even considering breaking the law, even in more sympathetic cases. Eventually, this will reduce the amount of criminals in our country to close enough to zero for me to be satisfied."

Fuyuhiko was quiet for a while. "You make it sound pretty easy. But you know that that first step alone, "revolutionizing Japan's investigations and courts," isn't gonna be very easy, let alone all that other stuff."

"It'll probably take me my whole life to get to that point. And that's even assuming I get started as soon as we get off this island. Still, in the same way an artist spends their whole life working toward their masterpiece, I'll be able to die happy if I know I did everything I could to make this country safer."

"...Well, I guess we're not necessarily enemies just because we got opposite goals."

"I'm pretty sure that's the definition of being enemies."

"You know what I mean. For now, we both got the same goal. We both want off this island. So until then, we're allies, aren't we?"

A genuine smile formed on Maki's face. "Never thought I'd say this about a yakuza, but yeah. I guess we're allies."

The moment was suddenly ruined with the sound of a bell.

"Ahem! Hope's Peak Academy's 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 then, sweet dreams everyone. Good niiiiight..."

The two stared at each other for a second. Fuyuhiko let out a sigh.

"It feels like... a lot of stuff got skipped over and now it's nighttime already..."

"Almost time for tonight's transmission."

"We should go back to our cottages when that's done. It's fuckin' annoying to keep going back and forth, though..."

"I suppose I'll go wake Mikan, then. Though I doubt it's very good for her health to have her working all night by herself."

"That's the bastard Monokuma's fault. If he didn't make those dumb fuckin' hospital rules..."

"I know. Still... I think I'll help her out for a few minutes, just to make sure she's up for it."

"Go for it. Leave this transmission thing to me. They're not gonna have a clue anyway. I can handle this."

"If you're certain..."

Maki entered the hallway. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw a silhouette standing there, illuminated by the dim lighting. She calmed a bit when she realized it was Ibuki, wandering around out of her room.

"Wh-What are you doing out here? You should be resting."

"To tell you the truth, I have been getting quite bored doing nothing but sleeping. Also... it would just trouble you if I slept all the time, so I was hoping I can help you with anything... But it's better if I am sleeping, correct!?"

"Right. If you feel bored, I don't know, just hum some of your songs or something. But don't do anything strenuous. It'll be really helpful if you get well soon."

"Yes! Understood!"

Maki sighed as the Musician returned to her room to rest. She headed toward the stairs at the end of the hall, but stopped halfway. The door to Nagito's room was open. She peeked inside, and she found Mikan working tirelessly away at caring for Nagito.

"Seems I'm late... She must've arrived while I was in the lobby." Maki muttered. She made her way inside. Mikan didn't react, completely enveloped in her work. She placed a hand on the Nurse's shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Maki stepped back, holding her ringing ears. "Okay, that one was my fault."

"Gaaaah! Please don't surprise me! I almost got wet!"

"Uh, right. Me... too?"

"Ah... did you come by to check on Nagito?"

"I was planning to check in on you. I know you've been resting all day, but I don't want you running yourself ragged overnight."

"U-Um... I hope... I'm not mistaken... that'd be really embarrassing... A-Are you, by chance... worried about me?"

"Yeah, that's exactly it."

"Oooh... thank you very much! I'll remember this moment until the day I die! Hehe... I've gotten my energy back, so I'll get back to taking care of Nagito."

"If you're sure. Just... don't overdo it, okay?"

But the other girl was already back to work, and Maki was ignored.

Sighing, she made her way back out into the hallway. Hajime was heading down the stairs.

"Hey, I guess it's time to head back now, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was just doing a last-minute check-up. Let's go."

They made their way back to the lobby, where Fuyuhiko was waiting.

"...Yo, how's Nagito doing?" The Yakuza asked.

"Fine, from what I've seen. Mikan's already attending to him. Though I'm more worried about her, if I'm being honest."

"Nagito's probably not doing so well..." He reminded her.

"What about you? Are you done with the transmission?"

"As I expected... we wrapped it up pretty quickly, like they had nothing new to report... They're apparently trying to find a cure somehow, but there hasn't been any progress."

"So on both our ends... it looks like we had no results." Hajime said.

"...Oh well. Let's look forward to tomorrow."

"Right..." Maki agreed. "Tomorrow..."

The three slowly returned to their cottages once again.


She couldn't sleep.

Every time Maki closed her eyes, she worried. About Nagito. About the other infected. About her, Fuyuhiko, and Hajime. About the others, staying at the motel. But most of all, she worried about Mikan. She was the one spending the most amount of time in contact with the infected. Even though Maki did her best to make sure she got enough rest, the fact of the matter was that the Nurse was supporting three sick people, one on death's door, every night, with very little time for rest. No matter how much rest she got during the day hours, that much work just wasn't healthy for one person.

She heard stories of long surgical procedures, some of them lasting well over 24 hours. By the end of any one where the doctor hadn't passed out, the only thing keeping them working was pure adrenaline. Obviously, Mikan was operating in better conditions than that, but how long would she be able to keep it up before she contracts the Despair Disease? Once that happened, it was over for everyone...

Maki realized she was shaking under her blanket. The image of herself contracting the disease sent a shiver through her, but she found herself just as scared at the prospect of one of her friends losing to it. The one thing she tried to avoid... growing attached to these kids... and she let it happen anyway.

She turned toward her clock. She hadn't slept at all, but it was already almost morning. The sun wasn't rising, but it was close enough to daytime that Monokuma probably wouldn't throw a fit if she arrived at the hospital. She needed something to do, someone to talk to, to steady her nerves.

She showered, dressed, and left the hotel grounds. She walked slowly, taking her time to enjoy the crisp, early-morning air. It wasn't the first time she noticed how large the island was compared to how few people lived on it, but it was the first time she felt genuinely alone. Even as she passed by the occasional security camera, she didn't pay it any mind. She didn't care anymore who was watching her on the other end. She wanted to live, and she didn't want to live in fear of being discovered. That meant... there was only one thing to do. She just hoped she would have the courage to go through with it.

Finally, she arrived at her destination, with sunrise only just beginning to crack over the horizon.

As she stepped inside, she expected Monokuma to interrupted her. He did not. He must have been feeling generous. Or perhaps he was expecting something. The only sound that filled the hospital was Ibuki's quiet humming of "From Me to You Too" coming from her room. At least, that's what Maki assumed it was, since she sort of covered her ears during the actual performance.

She made her way down the hall, to the room she was expecting Mikan to be in. Unsurprisingly, the Nurse stood over Nagito's unconscious body, and she appeared utterly exhausted.

"Hey, Mikan...?" Maki announced herself.

Mikan turned toward her, surprised to see her up so early. But her surprise was replaced with excitement. "Maki, look! Nagito's condition has stabilized!"

Maki stepped forward, and sure enough, the boy was sleeping, a relaxed expression on his face.

"So it would seem. Heh, you're a miracle worker, Mikan."

"I-It's not like he's completely cured. He was just able to recover from his critical condition..."

"Even so, it's amazing he's improved this much in one night. Without you, we'd all be goners."

"...Th-Thank you." Mikan let out an exhausted squee. "I'm so glad. I'm so relieved Nagito's finally stabilized. Waaaaaaah...! I'm sooooo glaaaaad...! Ah, I feel dizzy. Somehow... everything is spinning around me."

"That's probably not healthy. You should get some rest. I can probably take over from here. Not that Nagito really needs watching anymore."

"Then, if you insist, I will use the on-call room upstairs... You must be mentally exhausted, so it's better if you relax in the lobby instead."

"That easy to tell, huh? I'll be sure to do that. Thanks, Mikan."

"Then... even though it's the morning, good night..." Mikan said as she shakily turned to leave the room.

Maki turned to follow her, but something made her stop. She turned back to Nagito, the image of him sleeping peacefully. Nagito, who had been on the verge of death just the other day. It was truly a miracle. One of her greatest worries was suddenly just put to rest. It filled her with... hope. Hope... How long had it been since she legitimately felt the emotion? Maybe... if one of her worries could be put to rest... the others could be, too. Even if that meant making herself vulnerable.

She didn't like the way her conversation ended.

"Mikan, wait." She said suddenly.

The Nurse stopped just at the door. "Wh-What is it...? Do you need something?"

"Yes. Well, not quite, I just... I need to tell you something. I know I'm always... talking everyone to death, but this is important. Will you listen?"

"Of course... T-Tell me anything you want...!"

The other girl's nervousness was offsetting her own, at least. "You know that... I worry about you, and I want you to be happy. And I encourage you to talk to me, because I want to help you. But I feel that... I can't, in good conscience, continue to help you unless I tell you the whole truth. About me."

"Do you... not like me, after all...?" Mikan whimpered.

"N-No!" Maki corrected, a little too quickly. "Er, rather... It's sort of the opposite problem..."

"Oh... I'm glad. But... I don't think I really understand..."

Maki sighed, and started fingering her cat-ear hairband. "How do I start this? I told you before... about my confidant, right? About how you remind me of her? And that's why I wanted to help you? Well, the problem is... She wasn't just my confidant. She was also... my lover."

"L-L-Lover...?"

"That's what I said."

Mikan seemed to be considering what to say that wouldn't offend the other girl. "Um... y-you said "was," right? Wh-What... happened to her?"

"...She died."

Mikan gasped. "I-I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have pried! Please forgive me!"

"It's fine. I've moved past that. Or at least, that's what I keep telling myself. But then I look at you, and I see her, and I get all confused."

"Um... Did you want me to pretend to be a pig, after all...?"

"Mikan, please. There's no need for that." Maki said firmly, meeting her eyes. "I finally realized why I'm getting confused. It's not because of you, or my confidant, or my past, or anything like that. It's me. This whole time, I've been the one running from my past. But I'm tired of running. And if that means I have to confront my past, then so be it. And... While it may be a selfish request... I want you to be there with me when I do."

"C-Confront your past...?"

"I'm going to admit all of my sins to the others. All of my crimes. All of the people who died on my watch. I... I want to stop lying to everyone here, so that we can all get off this island together. Will you... help me?"

Mikan squirmed for a moment. "I-I'm not sure how... H-How can I even help with s-something like that? I d-don't even understand what you're s-saying..."

"You don't have to do anything. All I'm asking for is your support."

"Well, um... If that's all, then... I'll do everything I can!"

Maki smiled. Before she could ask herself what she was doing, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mikan. This took the other girl by surprise, and she flailed her arms around for a moment before deciding to return the hug.

"...Alice." The Criminologist whispered.

"What...?"

"That's... my real name. Alice Kizuki. I... changed it when I tried to run from my past. Thought "Maki Yugami" sounded cooler. But I don't want to lie anymore. Not to you."

"Alice Kizuki...? Uh... It's a cute name! V-Very... you..."

It was quiet for a little while, with both girls holding the embrace. Mikan seemed very awkward, but didn't say anything. Ibuki's quiet singing from the other room slowly died down, leaving them in silence.

Eventually, Mikan spoke again. "If it's not too much tr-trouble, um... Could you tell me s-something else...?"

"Anything."

"Wh-What you said earlier... about being confused, b-because of me... What does that mean...?"

"...I love you, Mikan. It took me this long to admit it, but I do."

"...Why?"

Maki moved back slightly, looking Mikan in the eye. "You're kind. You always put others before yourself. You act fast when you're under pressure. You're everything that I'm... not. But I swear, I'll do everything I can to protect you, and to make you happy. I-I won't let anyone insult you, or put you down, ever again."

"M-Maki? Er, Alice...?"

"Yeah?"

"A-A-Are you sure? I'm not trying to say you would lie like this, but..."

Maki leaned forward, silencing the other girl with her own lips. It was perhaps not the most romantic place for a first kiss, a run-down hospital room with an unconscious Nagito just a few feet away, but she didn't care. For the first time in forever, she didn't have to pretend to be someone else. She was listening to her heart rather than her mind. She had hope for her future.

When the kiss finally ended, they were quiet for a moment before Maki giggled like a schoolgirl. "You were my first kiss. I never even thought about having one. How funny that I'd have it here, of all places."

Mikan was quiet for a while, probably due to shock, but she eventually asked, "Y-You... never kissed your last lover?"

"No. It's a rare thing for me. Hugging like this is usually enough. Although... I can't deny that that felt good. With you, I mean."

If the Nurse wasn't blushing yet, she certainly was now. "H-Hugging is fine... I've never really been h-hugged like this before. I like it."

"Then... do you...?"

"...I think... I-I love you, too... At least... I wouldn't mind trying to... to..."

"To date me?"

"Well, it's just... I-I'm not sure how to d-date someone. I've never d-done it before..."

Maki laughed. "I'm not exactly an expert, myself. I guess we'll just have to figure things out as we go along." After a brief pause, she added, "I'm sorry. I kept you up. You should really get some rest now."

"O-Oh, right..." Mikan separated their embrace, and headed for the door. "Um, in that case, good night-... Uh, sorry, but, what should I call you?"

Maki thought it over for a moment. "I suppose it's fine if you start calling me Alice now. Even in public. After all, I want to confess everything once the group's back together. I might as well start with my name. Of course... I wouldn't object if you wanted to give me a pet name."

"O-Oh, okay! Um... good night, sweety!"

"Heh, can't go wrong with the classics, I guess. Good night, uh... angel... dust. No, wait, that's a drug. Um... Y'know what, I'll think of something clever later. Sweet dreams, Mikan."

With that, they went their separate ways. The Nurse went down the hall and up the stairs at the end, while the Criminologist headed back to the lobby, practically skipping the whole way.

She stared out the window at the rising sun. Fuyuhiko and Hajime would be arriving soon. Would she tell them everything then, she wondered. Of course, they would need to know that Nagito was stabilized, and that would probably be a huge relief to them. How would they react when she told them of her past? Probably negatively, but she wasn't scared. Mikan would be at her side. How would they react when she told them her new relationship with Mikan?

She giggled. "I'm thinking like... well, like a teenage girl. Which is fine, I guess. I lost out on a few years, anyway..."

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the radio sparking to life.

"That's odd. It's still really early." She thought. She took a step forward, but stopped when she heard it.

Ibuki's singing was coming from the other end. There was no doubt about it, it sounded identical to the singing Maki had heard mere minutes ago. But that wasn't all. In the background, she could hear quiet sobs. It had to be Akane. There was no doubt. The two sounds at the same time provided an eerie atmosphere, and Maki felt a chill run up her spine. She had only one question in her head. Why are these two at the music venue?

"No... Not again. I can't let it happen again!" She dashed out the front door of the hospital, and down the road toward the music venue. She barely even heard the Monokuma Morning Announcement as it played behind her. Sweat ran down her face, and her heart hammered away inside her chest, but she didn't dare slow down.


When she reached her destination, she shoved her shoulder against the front door, causing it to burst open. But it didn't matter how quickly she ran, or how forceful of an entrance she made. She was too late.

A single figure hung above the stage by a noose, wearing only a hospital gown and outlined only by a single spotlight. The face was completely unobscured, and Maki could make out the pained expression that represented the final moments of suffering. There was no mistaking who she was staring up at.

The Ultimate Musician, Ibuki Mioda, was dead.

"No... No!" Maki was breathing heavily, and found it hard to with all the hot air that met her inside. "Why... why is it so hot...? No, that doesn't matter! The others... I need to tell the others!"

She turned on her heel and dashed for the motel.

It took her another few minutes to reach it, and as she arrived, she started shouting bloody murder for someone to come to her.

The first person to make an appearance was Gundham. He huffed when he saw her. "I was wondering who was making such infernal racket... so it was you."

"G-Gundham..." She wheezed. "It happened again..."

"Don't tell me... Do you intend to spread the pathogenic bacteria so you can take us all down with you!? I won't let youuuuu! If you want to pass, you must defeat me first!"

As if things couldn't get any worse, Monomi appeared. "What happened? Is there a problem? Fighting is not allowed!"

"No, it's too late..." Maki muttered. "The problem... there's a body!"

"...Huh?"

"A body! There was a murder at the music venue!"

"B-B-B-Body... Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Could it be..." Gundham muttered. "Do you intend to spread lies, like Nagito, in order to confuse us all?"

"...Hold on." The voice of Chiaki called out as she joined them. "...Maki, is that true?"

"Of course it is! Why would I lie now?"

"Chiaki, you have seen Nagito's condition, yes? This fiend just has the same symptoms as him."

She considered this for a moment. "...But there's no way we shouldn't check it out. Cuz, if Maki is telling the truth... That means... it happened again, right?"

"A k-killing!?" Monomi gasped.

"If that's true... we need to check it out."

Gundham shrugged. "If that is the case... I will not stop you. Leave this place to me... and you fiends go on ahead! Hmph, no need to worry... I will catch up with you easily..."

"Th-That sounds like... famous last words..." Monomi muttered.

Maki shook her head and turned to Chiaki. "You're coming?"

"Yeah, it's better if we hurry, right?"

With that, the two girls dashed back to the music venue as fast as they could.

They didn't make it far before they ran into Mikan. "Ah, Maki!"

"Mikan? What are you doing here?"

"Perfect timing! Please help us, Maki!"

"Help... us?" It was then that Maki noticed Fuyuhiko and Hajime, running up behind Mikan.

"Maki and Chiaki...?" Fuyuhiko said. "What... are you guys doing here?"

"I could ask the same for you!" Maki snapped.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm looking for Ibuki and Akane!"

"Ibuki...? Akane...?"

"Um... I was planning to rest in the on-call room... but I wanted to check on everyone before I did that..." Mikan explained. "A-And... Ibuki and Akane are missing from the hospital all of a sudden..."

"You guys didn't... see the music venue?"

"Music venue?" Hajime repeated.

The Criminologist shook her head, growing increasingly frustrated as the moments passed. "No more questions! Follow me!"

The others had no time to respond before she sprinted down the road. They had no choice but to follow her lead.

By the time they reached the parking lot, Fuyuhiko was wheezing. "M-My wound hasn't completely healed yet... Don't make me... run too much..."

"Are Ibuki and Akane inside here?" Chiaki asked, seeing where this was going.

"As they say... seeing is believing..." Maki stepped up to the door and pushed. It clattered against her. "...Huh?"

"What the heck? Why's it locked?" Hajime asked.

"I-I... It was open just a few minutes ago!"

"Th-Then... why don't we try from another entrance..." Mikan suggested.

"This is the only entrance to the music venue." Chiaki noted. "There isn't even a window we can go through..."

"But... why is it locked...?" Hajime asked.

"I don't understand it myself but... If it won't open, the only thing we can do is force our way through!" Fuyuhiko decided.

"Mmmm, I wonder if that's gonna be possible." Chiaki said. "Of the five of us, three of us are girls, you know?"

"It doesn't matter if you can do it or not!" He snapped. "We have to try! Let's go, we'll all charge at the same time! Ready, set... Gooooooooo!"

All five of them charged the door at the same time. It smashed open under their weight.

Then suddenly, there was a scream. Mikan screamed and nearly collapsed. The others silently stared in horror at the scene. Even Maki. She knew what was coming, expected to see the body. She was hoping there wouldn't be a second.

The other figure was pinned against a pillar on the far side of the stage by about a dozen arrows. The bloodstained hospital gown and dried tears told the story of their torturous final moments. Compared to the clean, bloodless Ibuki, this sight was quite a shock. Maki felt fear and, along with her sense of failure and guilt doubling down upon her.

Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast, was dead.


Talk about mood whiplash.

Okay, so, as I mentioned at the top of this chapter, I predict this to be pretty divisive. So, allow me to use this space to walk you through my thought process.

First of all, yeah, I let Ibuki die but spared Hiyoko. Why did I do this? Well, in-universe it's because it's part of the murder, so you'll have to wait and see, but if you want me to give a more immediate reason... I also think Hiyoko has a lot to offer. Her character development gets cut short in canon, so I'd like to try and mend that. Of course, I never said she wasn't going to die, just that she lives beyond this point. Do with that what you will.

Unfortunately, someone had to die, and Ibuki and Akane fit the bill. I've seen quite a few people saying they wish Akane hadn't survived, and while I definitely don't hate her, I will admit that she doesn't bring as much to the table as the others. And Ibuki, while fun, doesn't really strike me as "endgame" material. As in, I can't see her making it to the end. Compared to the other candidates I had in mind for this murder, well... These two were the best choice, in my mind. Now excuse me while I cry for a bit.

On a less gruesome topic, but one I still think is worth bringing up: I finally wrote my first shot at romance. Let me know what you think about that, I guess. Why did I decide to do this? Well, it ties into Maki's development as she slowly (read: rather quickly) becomes more open with others about herself, and starts doing her best to help people. Mikan's just about as helpless as you can get. Plus, it feels in-character for them. Mikan's so desperate for affection, she'll take it from anyone, and Maki... well, I wrote Maki, so I get to decide what's in-character for her. And, as always, regardless of how you feel about it, I promise I'm going somewhere with this shit.

In any case, the next chapter should be up in a few days, assuming my schedule doesn't slip again. In it, we'll begin the investigation.