Class Trial - RESUME
...
Once everyone who was crying calmed down, Angie decided to bring the discussion back to Ryoma.
"Hey, Tenko? You said Ryoma was OK with you and Zellium's plan right?" She asked.
"Y-Yeah. What about it?" The aikido master replied.
"Was he really OK with you being involved with it?" Angie tilted herself at an angle, to see if it would help her catch any small details or help catch the taller girl off-guard.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Tenko tried to ask, to brush Angie's oddities off as if it was just her being silly. But Kokichi saw through it.
"I-I really don't h-have a c-clue." He muttered, and Tenko immediately started to cringe. And not in her normal 'Ew-why-is-this-pest-known-as-a-male-trying-to-speak-to-me-can-I-kill-it' cringe-face. The 'Oh-no-I-didn't-think-this-through' type of cringey-face as he pulled apart her bluff. "W-Why would the guy who offered to die i-immediately when put in a m-murder game to help buy the rest of us time have a problem with a g-girl like yourself trying to get away with 'technically' murdering a m-man? As opposed to say… o-offering to take your place in this p-plan?"
"Wait. What would Tenko's place in the plan even have been?" Kaito asked.
I wasn't even sure how long the debate about if Tenko was the one who killed Ryoma went on but near the end of it, I could see Angie shaking with regret and anger when she mentioned Kiyo wasn't the killer when suspicion went to him.
"So how can you say for sure the degenerate isn't our real culprit Angie?!" Tenko asked.
The faux artist shook more before shouting at the top of her lungs. "BECAUSE I PUSHED HIM!"
She had to take a moment to regain control of her breathing after making that dreaded confession. But at least all of us knew who Ryoma's killer was.
"I saw Ryoma trying to attack Kiyo on the bridge. I made Kiyo's avatar pause in place and pushed Ryoma into the river thinking he could swim somewhere far away."
"So you pushed him off the bridge, to save Kiyo from certain death?" Kaede asked, but thankfully her eyes were understanding. There were no bitter feelings to be found in them, only the pain of true sympathy.
"Yeah! I thought the river's current would wash him away. It's not like I was trying to hurt him, but still... murder is murder."
"You didn't know we can't swim in Keebo's world." Kaito numbly supplied as his features at last softened with this final closure. "Ryoma fell out of bounds, breaking the mental connection, and you had no idea."
"Yes! I thought it was completely harmless! I may be a disciple of Zanza, but I didn't-" Angie caught herself and tried to slow herself so she could be as clear as possible. So there was no doubts about her words, and her reasons wouldn't change the truth we had all suffered for. "I didn't think there was any reason why a river that narrow would be dangerous. Keebo did such a excellent job making everything there safe! I thought he covered everything. I forgot it could be deadly."
An argument between her and Kokichi broke out which caused Miyuji to start tearing up again.
Zanza's disciples really do stick together when each other is in danger. I thought to myself.
"See?! I admit it! I KILLED RYOMA!" Angie yelled before going silent.
That silence got the Monokubs to start Voting Time. I watched as the verdict machine lit up with Angie's face.
The Disciple of Elements had killed Ryoma Hoshi and most of us couldn't believe that this happened.
...
Class Trial - ALL RISE
...
Angie tried to handle herself with as much dignity as she could, now that her end was before her. But she had one last thing to do before her execution began.
"Ah. Oh well. This is the end for me. Sorry everyone, but it's been fun!" She said with as much energy she could muster and twirled to give all of us one last look into her eyes as she offered a final prayer. "May love always protect you all, and may you achieve the happy ending you strive for when this is over."
"Whatta bunch of bullshit." I heard Kaito hiss to himself, and he looked far more conflicted now than he had in previous trials and Tokuko had tears running down her face as she held him close. He was a fair bit paler too, and hearing the way he coughed concerned me.
"Kaito! My love, there's still time to save her!" The actress exclaimed. "If you're gonna die trying to bloody save her, then I shall go down with you!"
The astronaut laughed a bit. "I guess true love always finds a way for us then, huh?"
As the Monokubs prepared to start the execution, Angie took off her coat and plopped it onto Tenko's shoulders.
"Take good care of it for me, OK? It's important to keep those we love close to us, and objects can hold memories just like our hearts and minds do. So even if it stops being a raincoat, don't get rid of it!" She advised.
With her parting piece said, there was no reason to postpone things any longer. Before the Monokubs could snatch her away to meet her demise, and how they would try to break her spirit as they did, she squared her shoulders and gave us one last wave.
GAME OVER
Angie has been found guilty.
Time for the punishment!
Angie found herself tied by snake-like ropes that bound her struggling form to a post like a lowercase 't' at the center of a pile of kindling on a snowy field, with a river nearby much like how the Virtual World's setting was, and the sky above looked stormy. The faux artist was sure lightning was impossible during snow storms, but regardless of it was possible or artistic license that's the direction it looked like things were going.
Around her Christianity based cross-of-a-lightning rod she saw ruined depictions of other faiths too. Everything from wooden sculptures like totem heads or scrolls of pagan gods were ready to burn. She looked ready to vomit upon realizing what the Monokubs were going for.
They made her take on the role of Joan of Arc and was going to make the heavens 'smite' her for her insolence as Lorithia would say. The crimes born out of best intentions and poor judgement, including those that happened long before Ryoma may have come to harm.
Innocence Lost
Ultimate Traditional Dancer Angie Yonaga's Execution: Executed
Even though Zanza would've refused to let her die, Angie took a breath and prepared to accept it nonetheless. She felt an odd calmness within her as she saw the lightning flashes and resulting flames draw near her. As if it was the god of the Bionis protecting her from the full brunt of her torture.
But when Kaito and Tokuko tackled into her from the first strike, she wished Zanza was still alive to see this.
As kind as it is to keep her from dying alone, it was cruel to do so at the expense of two of her friends. But as her would-be saviors tried to untie her, urging her to escape the stage, she couldn't bring herself to voice those feelings. She simply tried to smother the pure gratitude that welled in her chest, and prayed for all three of their souls as the thunder kept crashing down.
Gonta, Miyuji, and Tenko could do nothing but weep as the astronaut and the actress try to pull the Disciple of Elements to a safety that didn't exist.
Kaito coughed up more blood and Tokuko caught him as he collapsed. Even then the actress kept carrying him and Angie across the field. Causing more snow tracks on the ground to form.
And spilling more and more of Tokuko's tears.
When she stopped to catch her breath, she looked up to see a holy lightning bolt above her, Angie, and Kaito and gasped in horror before the cruel god of this hell struck them down.
All anyone else could see when the dust cleared were bright blue flames where Angie, Kaito, and Tokuko once stood.
All three of them were no more.
All of us were breaking down in tears even after the execution was over.
"N-No way... Kaito... and Tokuko too?! NO!" Miyuji cried.
"I... I won't l-let Angie's final wish to be in vain!" Tenko managed to cry out despite her greif.
I was crying really hard as I went to my room for the night. Zellium's plan would finally be put into motion, but at the cost of three of my friends and the Disciple of Elements.
Even if we were in space, Kaito wouldn't have wanted it this way. I thought to myself as I went to sleep.
...
End of Chapter 4: Tears of Despair, Tears of Love
Surviving Members: 8
Present Obtained: Pearl Anklet - Proof that you cleared Chapter 4. A memento of Angie. The location of where she wears this reminds me of how she used her ankle flails during the Killing Titan War.