Shuichi flung open the door to the Penthouse, his legs still burning from the climb up the stairs. He shouted to the amassed Ultimates, using the last of the air left in his lungs. "Maki, no!"

The girl called Paris staggered past him, her legs giving out as she flung herself across the carpet. "Don't do it, Maki Roll! Stop in the name of love!"

It was an awkward entrance, but one that had the intended effect: Maki's attention snapped away from her aloft victim, the hatred in her eyes briefly clouded by confusion. "Shuichi?" she blinked. "How did you...who is that woman?"

"Uh..." Shuichi glanced at the exhausted Hacker at his feet. Truth be told, he didn't have a good answer. The pink-haired interloper had introduced herself as Paris when they had met in the hallway, but as to who she really was or where she came from, the Detective couldn't say. He guessed she was the one beaming security footage into the hotel rooms, but his evidence for that was purely circumstantial. Regardless, she didn't seem dangerous. Or malicious. In fact, she didn't really seem "all there."

"Paris is the name," she cheerily announced, despite trying and failing to stand. "And (ow!) let me just say I am, like, your biggest fan."

Maki blinked. "My what?"

"Your biggest fan!" Paris nodded vigorously. "Like, the way you put aside your dark past and risked it all for love was just...ah! It was the best!" She suddenly swerved her attention to Shuichi, causing him to flinch. "Of course, you're a close second in my tier list, Shuichi. You and Kaede are what got me totally hooked on season 53, after all."

"I see," Maki glowered. "So you're a Danganronpa fan, huh?"

"I know, I know, totally hypocritical of me, right?" Paris bonked her fist against her head. "But I can't help it. I'm, like, a total sucker for that kind of stuff."

"She's an Ultimate like us, Maki," Shuichi interceded, before the conversation got even more off track. "All she wants to do is help." Or at least, that's what the Detective assumed. He could verify his unlikely companion's backstory later; what mattered now was defusing the situation before Maki and Kokichi self-destructed.

"That's right," Himiko chimed in. "She's the one who helped me escape. She hacked my room and told me how to get out."

Maki paused over this, then turned her piercing gaze back to the still-struggling Kokichi. "Was she also the one told you to team up with this insect?"

Himiko hesitated. "E-er...well, I mean, she didn't tell me to. It was more like...an agreement?"

"A-and a g-good thing too!" Kokichi piped up. "O-otherwise we wouldn't be h-having this h-happy little reunion. R-right Shui-HURGHK."

"Did I say you could talk again?" Maki growled.

"Maki, please," Shuichi pleaded, cautiously advancing. "Let him go." The Detective tried to keep his voice level, even as his heart hammered inside his chest. Dammit, Kokichi. It was bad enough that his plan involved so much deception and risk. But to still be cracking wise even when his life hinged on the mercy of the world's deadliest assassin...he couldn't be more infuriating if he tried. Well, then again...

Maki's eyes narrowed. "Why should I?" she demanded.

Kokichi let out a strangled giggle. "U-uh, maybe 'cause I'm your o-only hope of escaping? Unless you h-have any brilliant i-ideas besides st-strangling me."

Shuichi grit his teeth. "Kokichi shut up," he said. "I'm trying to help you here."

"Que? M-moi?" Kokichi's jaw dropped. "Why Shuichi, are y-you w-worried about mmPH."

Maki slammed the Overlord's face into the rug, smothering his coy grin. "That's enough out of you," she said.

Paris sighed. "Hate to say it Kokichi, but you kinda deserved that. You really don't know when to quit."

Himiko groaned. "You think he would've learned his lesson by now. Isn't this, like the third or fourth time this has happened?"

Shuichi suppressed a sigh of relief. Gagging Kokichi with a choke-slam wasn't exactly the level of de-escalation the Detective was looking for, but it showed Maki was open to listening. He could get through to her. He had done it before, and he could do it again.

"Look, I agree Kokichi has a lot to answer for," he began, making sure to maintain eye contact. "And I'm not about to let him off the hook just because he's decided to help us. His crimes will be accounted for. But now is not the time."

Maki opened her mouth to respond, then hesitated. Shuichi could almost see the calculations racing behind her eyes. Even when her mind was fogged with rage, the Assassin was no fool: she had to know how much was at stake, and how tenuous their position was. The 53rd class may be in control of the situation for the moment, but they were still deep within enemy territory, and the window to escape was growing narrower every second. Maki distrusted Kokichi, but she trusted her friends more. And because of that, Shuichi knew he could trust her to see the truth.

"You'll have another chance to settle things," the Detective continued. "But we may never get another shot at freedom. So please, just let Kokichi go. For now."

The Assassin sighed. "Words never fail you, huh, Shuichi?" She looked away. "Let's hope the same goes for your promises." With that, she loosened her grip and stepped back, freeing Kokichi from her grasp. He twisted himself around and gasped for air, as the rest of his classmates breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sooooo we're all good now, right?" Paris looked at the others expectantly. "Best friends forever? Maybe more, with time?"

"Yep!" Kokichi beamed, rising to his feet. "Like I always say, never doubt the power of friendship!"

"Nyeh, you've never said that," Himiko mumbled.

"But wow, Shuichi," the Overlord continued, his eyes sparkling. "I'm super impressed. You barged right in here and talked Maki down without batting an eye. So that must mean you figured out my plan ahead of time, right?"

"More or less," Shuichi admitted. It wasn't too hard to decipher: this sort of cheap manipulation was textbook Kokichi. If he had just tried to contact Shuichi during the infiltration, the Detective would've most likely hesitated, preferring to assess the situation before getting involved. But by pulling Maki into the mix, and making sure Shuichi knew about it, Kokichi guaranteed the action would move at the pace he dictated. An effective gambit, though one that the Detective couldn't help resenting.

"I knew I could rely on you," Kokichi beamed. "Never once have I doubted your deductive abilities."

"Um," Paris put a finger to her lips. "That's not totally true though, right? I mean, your 'unsolvable mystery' plan last season depended on him failing, right?"

"Paris, how could you!" Kokichi's cheeks flashed crimson. "I told you to never, ever embarrass me in front of Shuichi!"

"You're whole existence is an embarrassment," Maki muttered.

Shuichi rubbed his temple. "In any case, while your plan to unite us is obvious, I'm a little unclear on your exit strategy. Even if you've cut communications from this hotel to the outside world, the building is still surrounded by protestors and police. None of them may know exactly what's going on inside here, but they're sure to be on the lookout for people leaving the hotel. So how do you propose we get around that to safety?"

Kokichi giggled. "It's simple," he said, his eyes flicking to unconscious Programmer nearby. "We walk out."