Chapter Two: Boys' Life of Despair
Makoto walked into the dining hall, taking his seat next to Kyoko. He had just taken a shower and saw that just as Monokuma said, Sayaka's corpse and blood had been cleaned away.
As though it never even happened. Sayaka...no, no more tears. I've already spent enough time crying over this. I have to keep my optimism; otherwise, just like Kyoko said, we'll lose.
While he was far from smiling, Makoto had steeled his nerves enough that he wasn't about to burst into tears.
"You look better today. I'm glad..."
Kyoko gave a small smile as she munched on an apple, glad to see Makoto's eyes no longer puffy and that he looked somewhat normal compared to the other day.
Makoto smiled back and replied "Well, it's like you told me; if I can't keep my optimism, then Monokuma wins. And I'll be damned if he kills any more of us with his killing game. So I've gotta be hopeful, for everyone's sake."
Soon enough, everyone else remaining filed in, grabbing their breakfast. Once everyone had finished eating, a familiar ding rang through the speakers as Monokuma's face appeared on the monitor.
"Attention, student body. Please proceed to the gymnasium for an assembly. That is all."
"Wonder what he wants this time..."
Kyoko rose and replied "Only one way to find out. Shall we?"
Makoto nodded and walked ahead of her, marching down to the gymnasium with her following closely behind.
XXX
After making them do pointless exercise, Monokuma revealed that with each completed class trial, a new world within the school would be available for access. In this case, the second floor, which was where the remaining students found themselves exploring, hoping for some way out. The second floor held a couple of new amenities, including a library, where Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya found themselves exploring. Kyoko combed through the bookshelved, which obviously hadn't been used in some time; it wasn't long that a cloud of dust formed and she had to stand back and wait for it to settle.
Still coughing, she advised "It's remarkably dusty in here. And the lighting is less than ideal. For a library, it's not the kind of place I'd want to do much reading in…"
THIS was Hope's Peak Academy? Man, what was I thinking accepting my invitation…
As Makoto continued to look around, he spotted what looked like…
A laptop?
As he stepped closer to inspect it, Kyoko revealed "Don't bother, Makoto. It's broken. I tried pressing the power button earlier, but nothing happened."
"Broken? Too bad..."
"You didn't honestly think it would be as simple as Googling our way out of here, did you?"
Point taken, I guess…
Makoto sighed and looked around some more until he saw a pale envelope the size of a Hallmark greeting card.
"Hope's Peak Academy..."
"It was buried under a thick layer of dust. It must have been sitting there for quite a while..."
Makoto jumped, Kyoko's sudden appearance behind him surprising him.
Good god, Kyoko, don't DO that! My nerves have been frazzled enough these past few days as it is…
Kyoko merely smiled, amused at Makoto's reaction, and continued "Well, shall we see what's inside?"
To Makoto, it felt like an invasion of privacy, despite how abandoned the school obviously was. The thought of reading another person's mail didn't sit right with Makoto.
"But...we shouldn't read other people's mail without their permission..."
Kyoko rolled her eyes, thinking Oh for god's sake Makoto; this letter was abandoned. We can't afford to act like goody two-shoes just to satisfy your overly considerate morals.
"What we shouldn't do is leave this here without finding out what's inside." She got up in his face, speaking with a threatening edge "We can't leave any stone unturned. If you won't read it, then I will. Pick one, Makoto Naegi."
Gulping, Makoto thought Remind me never to get on your bad side...Alright Kyoko, you win!
Sighing, Makoto opened the envelope and took out the letter inside, beginning to read it aloud as Kyoko peered over his shoulder. As he continued to read, his eyes widened with shock. By the end, he had lost his grip on the paper, letting it flutter to his feet.
"What the...what does this even mean?"
Reaching down to pick up the letter, Kyoko mused "It would seem Hope's Peak had stopped functioning as a school. And judging by the amount of dust the letter had collected, it doesn't seem to have happened recently. If I had to guess, I'd say this letter could be at least a year old."
"A year ago? But wait; before I got here, I looked stuff up online about the school, and never saw anything about this..."
Byakuya mused that if the letter was real, then it must have been part of the mastermind's plan.
"If it is real, though, that does solve one mystery surrounding the school...The reason there are no other students here could be because the school had already closed down."
That would also explain why this library is so dusty; if the school hasn't been in session for at least a year, then it makes sense that nobody would bother to tidy up the library.
Turning to Kyoko, he asked "Do you think there's any connection between that and what's happening to us now?"
Shaking her head, Kyoko replied "I don't know. If the two events are in fact connected...uncovering that connection would be a useful clue, on top of figuring out the mastermind's motive...Although I can't really say any more until we find more details."
Rats; I was hoping she would have figured it out. I guess it couldn't possibly be that easy, even for her.
Kyoko turned on her heel and said "I think we've found everything useful that we can here. Shall we head back to the dining hall and see what everyone else has uncovered?"
As she walked out the door, Makoto yelled "Hey Kyoko, wait up" as he ran up behind her and followed her back to the first floor.
XXX
When Makoto and Kyoko got to the dining hall, Kiyotaka called the meeting to order. It was revealed that in addition to a library, the 2nd floor had locker rooms and a pool. It was also revealed that the bathhouse and warehouse were unlocked. However, as Mondo complained, there was nothing resembling an escape route. Celeste reminded everyone that to survive, everyone needed to adapt.
As Mondo continued to grumble, Kyoko asked "So, are we done for today?"
With nothing left to say, everyone left the dining hall back to their respective rooms. Makoto followed Kyoko outside and called "Kyoko..."
As they approached her door, she asked "What is it, Makoto?"
Twiddling his thumbs, Makoto answered "About earlier in the library...I'm sorry I didn't do as you asked right away when you told me to open that letter. I should...I should trust your judgment more, especially after you saved my life the other day. But I second-guessed your intuition instead. Forgive me..."
Kyoko smiled, amused at how apologetic Makoto was over something so minor.
Turning around, she looked at him with sincerity and replied "There's nothing to apologize for, Makoto. You were just following the morals that your parents taught you, I'm sure. You have a respect for people's privacy that many don't, and I would hate to see you lose that. I'm not angry, Makoto. Today was just a scenario where respect for privacy wasn't beneficial to our goal of getting out of here alive."
Makoto stared, amazed at just how much into his personality and thoughts she had read, causing Kyoko to smile in amusement.
"Kyoko..."
"I'm heading to bed. Good night, Makoto."
The door closed behind her, leaving Makoto to wander back to his room and prepare for bed.
XXX
Makoto panted as he raced up the stairs; everyone except for Byakuya had come to breakfast. His loner attitude wouldn't have worried Makoto normally, but after Kiyotaka brought up his concern that something might have happened to Byakuya, Makoto felt his blood run cold.
No no no no...not again!
Seeing visions of Sayaka's corpse flash in front of his eyes, Makoto burst out the door and raced through the halls, desperate to find Byakuya before it was too late.
"BYAKUYA! BYAKUYA!"
Where are you, Byakuya! Okay, calm down Makoto, take a deep breath. He wouldn't have any reason to be on the first floor, so he must be on the 2nd floor!
Makoto raced up the stairs and past the bathrooms when he heard a familiar voice call out "So you thought to come here, too…"
He turned around and sure enough, Kyoko was standing in the hallway, relaxed against the wall. Perhaps it was because he was already frantic, but the few shreds of Makoto's calm demeanor snapped.
"How can you be so freaking CALM about this, Kyoko? Not even one day after we lose Sayaka and Leon, Byakuya goes missing! If we don't find him, then...then..."
Makoto had been pacing back and forth, and after sighing, Kyoko had had enough of the sight. She walked over to him and firmly placed her hands on his shoulders, stopping Makoto in his tracks.
"Makoto, get a grip! I know how you feel, but getting all worked up like this isn't going to make Byakuya any safer. Now take a deep breath, okay?"
Makoto did as she asked, feeling his self-control return with each intake of oxygen. He then blushed, embarrassed with how he had acted.
Great, now I feel silly…
"Sorry, Kyoko. I'm just trying to figure out where he could have vanished to. I mean, we already explored most of the 1st floor, and I can't think of any reason he'd go to the warehouse or the bathhouse, so where could he have gone?"
Kyoko smiled and replied "The answer may be more obvious than you think. If you think about what Byakuya was so interested in yesterday...you can probably guess where he is right now, right?"
Yesterday...wait a minute, I got it! The library! He was very interested in the library!
Turning around, Makoto took off, shouting "Thanks, Kyoko. You're a lifesaver!"
Kyoko smirked and shook her head, opting to stand against the wall and wait to see if her theory was correct.
That boy's a little rough around the edges, but he's a quick thinker once he gets a little nudge…
XXX
Oh, Byakuya Togami! That arrogant, self-centered, egotistical son of a biscuit! To think I was worried half to death about him, and he goes and spews THAT!
Makoto stomped out of the library, eager to get back to his room so he could cool off. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt such anger at one of his peers.
"You know, scowling doesn't really fit you, Makoto."
Makoto turned around and saw Kyoko standing in the same place she was when he left her, an amused smile on her face.
"I have a right to be upset. HIs little disappearing act had us all concerned, and how does he thank us? By showing amusement in Monokuma's game and telling us all not to bore him. For god's sake, I was WORRIED about him. We all were, except maybe you. Why weren't you frantic like the rest of us about what might have happened to him?"
Kyoko shrugged and replied "I have to put all my energy into watching out for myself. I don't have time to worry about anyone else."
Even me? So was your pep talk last night just a ruse, a mask?
Feeling betrayed, he scoffed and turned around.
"Whatever, Kyoko. I'm heading downstairs. Smell you later..."
As he stomped out of sight, Kyoko was left to herself, a speck of guilt entering her heart. She frowned, Makoto's reaction leaving her unsettled.
Did I offend him? What did I say?
XXX
Makoto had laid on his bed for some time, his emotions sufficiently cooled to the point that he could look back on the past few hours logically. He looked back at his outburst at Kyoko and felt ashamed.
I acted like a jerk. Kyoko saved my life the other day and I repay her by blowing up in her face. I should go apologize.
His mind made up, Makoto walked around the school until he spotted Kyoko walking on the 2nd floor.
"Kyo...Kyoko..."
Turning around, she looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes and replied "Did you need something from me?"
Clasping his hands behind his back and kicking his heel with his toe, Makoto stuttered "I...I'm sorry that I blew up in front of you the other day. I was on edge with Byakuya's disappearance and attitude the other day, but that's no excuse for me being so short with you. I know I probably made you mad, and I'm really sorry..."
Makoto's babbling was interrupted by a chuckle ringing through his ears. He looked up, confused to see Kyoko lightly chuckling and shaking her head.
"Makoto, I was never mad at you. I was just...concerned."
"Concerned? But wait, I thought you said you didn't worry about anyone else but you."
Her expression back to a neutral mask, she clarified "Just because I don't actively show worry and get frantic whenever someone acts strangely or doesn't show up doesn't mean that I'm never concerned about them. I was concerned when you were scowling the other day after speaking with Byakuya because you're usually an optimistic person, so it's unsettling to see a scowl on your face."
So you, you WERE concerned about me…
"Byakuya on the other hand has always been a loner, so it's hardly cause for alarm when he doesn't show up for breakfast. And in both your cases, I knew that your behaviors didn't mean you were in any mortal danger."
Makoto stared at her in shock, feeling both relieved that she was actually concerned for him, and more ashamed at his outburst the other day.
"Kyoko, I'm sorry. I'll try not to be so rash from now on. I just got scared because..."
Kyoko laid a hand on his shoulder, cutting him off.
"Look, I get it. It wasn't that long ago that Sayaka died, so your conclusion was a perfectly reasonable one. We just have to be careful about how we react to the conclusions we come to. Letting our base emotions rule our actions means that we let Monokuma win."
Makoto nodded, understanding the lesson that Kyoko was trying to teach.
"So, are we cool?"
Kyoko nodded and shook his hand, catching him off guard.
You finally shook my hand…
Kyoko turned around and walked toward the stairs, calling out "I'm afraid I have other things I have to attend to. Farewell, Makoto."
"Yeah, see you later."
XXX
The next day was relatively quiet; Makoto had grabbed breakfast and had gone back to his room when Byakuya's speech from the other day ran through his mind.
If I decide to fight, of course I'll come up with something original. Otherwise, this game of ours will be totally boring, right?
"He really thinks that this is all just a game. People are dying and all he can think about is winning..."
Makoto's blood began to boil before he caught himself and took a deep breath in order to calm down.
This is exactly how I ended up yelling at Kyoko the other day. Wait a minute; I never ended up telling her what about Byakuya's attitude got me so worked up. She probably still thinks it was about his disappearance from breakfast.
If I decide to fight, of course I'll come up with something original.
Makoto's blood ran cold as Byakuya's words repeated themselves in his mind. He sat up, getting his shoes on.
Kyoko needs to know. If she's unaware of Byakuya's intentions, she could end up next…
He threw open the door and walked over to Kyoko's door, ringing the doorbell. He waited a few seconds before the door pulled open to reveal Kyoko's confused face.
"Makoto? What's the matter?"
"Sorry, but I remembered something from the other day that I thought you should know. Can I come in so we can talk?"
Her brow furrowing in concern, Kyoko nodded and stepped out of the doorway, allowing Makoto inside before she closed the door.
"Now, what was so urgent that you needed to approach me right this instant?"
"Okm, so it's true that Byakuya's disappearing act had me on edge, but it wasn't what made me so mad the other day."
"Go on..."
"When we all confronted Byakuya, he had been reading a crime novel and told us right then and there that he'd come up with something original if he decided to make a move. His callousness was what set me off, and I thought you should know of his capacity for action should he try something."
You were worried about me…
"Makoto, are you keeping an eye on me?"
"It's not...it's not like I think you can't look out for yourself, 'cause I know from experience you're quite capable..."
Kyoko smiled teasingly and interjected "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill anyone."
"That's not what I was going at, Kyoko. I just didn't want you to be in the dark about anything was all. This is life or death, and I don't want to lose any more friends."
He's really concerned, isn't he?...
She finally grabbed his wrists as he sat down on her bed and tried to bury his face in his hands.
"Makoto, calm down; I was just teasing you earlier. I am truthfully grateful that you took the time to tell me, though it doesn't surprise me at all."
"Why...How?"
"I had already seen Byakuya in the library before you came racing up the stairs, and caught a glance of the cover of what he was reading. How else would I have been able to hint you towards his location?"
Oh...duh...I am such a nitwit…
Makoto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment once Kyoko released his wrists as he replied "Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Now I feel a little silly for getting so worried..."
Kyoko smiled and assured "Don't be. Your concern is noted and appreciated."
She got up and walked over to the door before opening it and finishing "But as I've stated, I am quite capable of fending for myself, and I have things I need to take care of, so are we finished?"
Makoto nodded and walked out the door, calling out "Goodbye, Kyoko."
She wordlessly closed the door, thinking That boy's becoming more perceptive. He's still got a ways to go, but his skill of deduction is becoming stronger by the day…
XXX
Makoto didn't see Kyoko until around dinner time. He was starting to wander back to the dining hall when he ran into Kyoko on the 2nd floor. She seemed lost in thought and didn't see Makoto looking at her.
"Who set this all up? And why did they choose us? There are so many mysteries…"
"So, any leads Kyoko?"
In a rare moment of surprise, Kyoko jumped at the sound of Makoto's voice.
He managed to sneak up on me…
She smiled and replied "Sorry, just talking to myself. I must have been so lost in thought that I didn't hear you coming. I must be slipping..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, honest..."
She waved him off and assured him "It's fine. It just means I need to do a better job of keeping my guard up. With everything that could happen, it won't do any of us any good to be daydreaming."
Makoto nodded, seeing the sense in her rationale.
She's right. With what happened with Sayaka and Leon so far, it makes sense to be on our guard.
"In that case, I'm glad it was me that could help you catch yourself and not someone with more malevolent intentions. It makes me feel more useful, like I can actually pay you back for saving my life before."
You are useful, Makoto…
Before she could vocally protest his lack of self-confidence, Makoto spoke "Anyways, I was just about to head down for dinner. You hungry too?"
Kyoko nodded and started walking toward, leaving Makoto confused.
She turned back to him and called "Well? Didn't you say you were hungry? Hurry up or I'll leave you behind!"
Watching her walk down the stairs, Makoto shook out of his confused daze and called out "Kyoko, wait up" dashing down the stairs to catch up to her.
XXX
This is just really weird, even for Hope's Peak standards...First Mondo and Kiyotaka become partners in a bromance after having the most HEATED contest I've ever seen, then Toko becomes infatuated with BYAKUYA of all people after he INSULTS her. What is the world coming to? Is Monokuma now going to turn into Mother Theresa and open the way out as an act of charity?
"What's the matter? Why are you bouncing around like a little rabbit?"
Makoto jumped in surprise and calmed down to see Kyoko leaning against the wall, watching him with an amused expression.
Makoto sighed in relief and complained "Good god, Kyoko; don't DO that!"
Chuckling, Kyoko shook her head and replied "Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway's, why the pacing and muttering? Don't you have anything to do?"
Makoto sighed and shook his head, replying "Sorry, Kyoko. The past day has just been...weird...and I'm trying to wrap my head around it."
Kyoko furrowed her brow in curiosity as she replied "What do you mean weird? Did you discover something about the school within the past day?"
Makoto shook his head; class trial aside, he had no skill with investigations, at least not enough to have discovered something that Kyoko wouldn't have. And investigating for clues hadn't exactly been on his mind as of late.
"No, nothing that could help with our escape, just...our friends acting weird...forget it, it's nothing. I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to me rant anyways."
Kyoko frowned in concern; if Makoto was worried enough to begin acting out of character, then his change in behavior worried her.
"My investigations haven't led to any new leads as of late, and if our classmates have been acting unusual, maybe there's a clue in there. If there's something strange going on, no matter how insignificant, I'd like to know."
Makoto sighed and acquiesced, explaining how Kiyotaka and Mondo asked him to judge their contest late at night, and how everyone was disturbed to see how chummy they had become that morning.
"I mean, it's just so...so...out there! I mean, first they rope me into judging their testosterone contest, then they go from hating each other to being inseparable in less than 12 hours."
"I agree it's strange, but it doesn't seem like anything to stress about. I say just keep your eyes open, but let's not jump to any hasty conclusions about anything. For now it's ultimately harmless."
She's right...it's ultimately not worth getting freaked out over…That's not all though!
He continued to tell her about how Toko had all but barged into his room and begged him to take her to Byakuya.
"And when we get there, she asks ME to go talk to him in her place. What am I, an ambassador? And then after he insults her and makes us leave, she starts swooning over how he INSULTED her. And then she asks me if I think the two of them would make a good couple! I mean, why would anyone ask me that? I'm not a romance expert. I've never been on a date in my life! All these incidents of being roped into other people's antics is really starting to creep me out. I'm nobody special; why can't they ask one of the actual Ultimates instead? For goodness sake, the only reason I'm here at all is because I won a raffle!"
You are special, and it's not due to your luck…
Kyoko sighed as Makoto's tirade ended and she told him "People are coming to trust you, Makoto. With our numbers being dwindled by Sayaka, Junko, and Leon's deaths, this Killing Game is making everyone uneasy about who they can put their trust in. You're friendly with everyone, and you proved through the last trial that you're someone people can trust to not kill them. That makes them drawn to you to help solve their problems, because your innocence makes you special to them."
My innocence...makes me special?
"Thanks, Kyoko...I've probably wasted your time, haven't I?"
Kyoko shook her head and replied "Not at all. It might not have proven to be relevant to our escape, but I assure you, this wasn't a waste of time."
She would have said more, but a familiar ring echoed through the halls, filling Makoto with dread.
"All students, please gather in the gym immediately. Emergency! Emergency!"
Emergency...what on earth does that mean? Has someone already been murdered?
He turned to face Kyoko, a pensive expression forming on her face.
"Oh, Kyoko! Did you hear the announcement just now?"
"Yes..."
"I don't want to go, but...we don't have any other choice, right?"
Kyoko nodded and replied "I can't imagine it's going to be good news. But it's not a good idea to defy him here and now...So I'm going on ahead."
She turned on her heel and walked away from him, Makoto on her heel calling out "Hey Kyoko, wait up; we shouldn't go alone!"
XXX
By the time Makoto and Kyoko had entered the gymnasium, everyone else had already filed inside, anxiously waiting for Monokuma's announcement. Makoto took a brief headcount and sighed with relief.
Alright; everyone's here. Good; nobody's been murdered. So what's the emergency?
Byakuya, to everyone's ire, chuckled about how Monokuma kept things interesting, then mockingly asked Aoi what happened to her assertion that the police would rescue them. This made Aoi wonder what had happened that the police wouldn't come and shut down an institution so obviously heinous.
"It's strange, that's true. There's no way the police wouldn't know about it. We're right in the middle of a major urban area" Kyoko remarked.
They continued to debate amongst themselves before the familiar stuffed bear popped up from behind the podium.
"He's arrived…" Kyoko remarked dryly.
Monokuma joined in the speculation of the noise that Yasuhiro had heard, but only to the point of making everyone worked up.
Refusing to be swayed by Monokuma's antics, Kyoko interjected "Fine, then let's move on to what you can tell us. Why did you call us all here?"
Monokuma revealed that he had found out about an embarrassing secret that all of them had, and that he'd reveal all of them to the world if there wasn't a murder in 24 hours. With that, the conniving bear made his dramatic exit, leaving everyone stunned.
Kiyotaka tried to get everyone to reveal their secrets to each other, so any motive for murder wouldn't exist, but only a handful of the remaining students were eager to take part in the suggestion, so it was quickly dropped. With that, everyone started to disperse back to their own rooms.
As Makoto and Kyoko walked back to their dorms, Kyoko noticed a pensive expression overtake Makot, making her concerned.
"Makoto, what's wrong? You said it yourself; none of us would kill anyone over a few secrets, so why the gloom?"
I know I said as much, but still…
"I can't explain it; I just have this really bad omen, like something's gonna happen, but I don't know what."
Well, he's acknowledging the possibility, so at least he's being realistic…
"Unfortunately, we'll just have to wait and see. We don't know how each of our classmates will react to Monokuma's motive, so we just have to wait it out for now."
Makoto nodded in understanding and reluctant agreement.
"By the way...I'm curious, since you were fairly adamant about knowing what was on my DVD a few days ago. Why didn't you ask me what my secret was?"
"That's easy. Those secrets were meant to motivate us to kill. And you told me yourself that you wouldn't kill anyone, so I trust you."
You...you trust me?
"I mean, sure, I'd like it if you trusted me enough to share that kind of a secret with me, but I respect your right to privacy, so I'm not going to push you on the matter."
Kyoko smiled and replied "...Maybe another time. Good night, Makoto."
The door closed behind her, leaving Makoto to wander to his own room, plopping down on the bed as he fell asleep.
XXX
Everyone rushed into the locker room, taking in the gruesome sight of Chihiro's crucified corpse with horror. Kyoko still held her neutral, analytic expression, but a hint of concern glimmered in her eyes as she looked at Makoto, relieved that although he was clearly appalled and shocked at Chihiro's death, he showed no signs of having fainted like he had with Sayaka's murder.
"BLOOD LUST. Did...did she write that herself? But if so, why? And how did she get crucified like that?"
Kyoko shook her head and offered "I don't think it's any kind of dying message. It's just too...strange…"
Byakuya asserted that the serial killer Genocide Jack had to be behind it, then after Monokuma distributed the Monokuma file, urged with an uncomfortable level of excitement for everyone to just treat Chihiro's corpse as an ordinary object during the investigation. Makoto and most everyone bristled at Byakuya's callousness.
I know we have to solve this case, but come on! Can't we approach this with some sensitivity?
It was Kyoko who eventually settled the argument between Byakuya and the others by interjecting "Everyone stop bickering. Listen, there's some truth in what Byakuya said."
"Kyoko!"
Makoto bristled at her seemingly agreement with Byakuya.
"If we don't solve the mystery and find the killer, or own lives are forfeit. And if Byakuya is right that Genocide Jack is somehow the one who killed Chihiro...then unless we do something, more victims could start piling up."
I know but…
Makoto steeled himself, begrudgingly acknowledging the wisdom in Kyoko's words. His composure was shattered however, when Byakuya told him that he would be letting him cooperate with him during the investigation.
Work with...Byakuya?
Makoto felt a chill run down his spine as he imagined working with the same Byakuya that viewed this game as nothing more than entertainment, who said that he'd come up with something original when he decided to participate. His shaking was calmed when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Gasping, he turned to look at Kyoko's calm expression.
"I have my own investigation to do here anyways; it might be a good idea to go with Byakuya this once. You'll be fine; it'll be away from the crime scene, and you look like you could use some air."
Makoto nodded, calmed down after hearing Kyoko's words, and followed Byakuya out the door.
XXX
Makoto reentered the crime scene, shivering with fear after Byakuya's revelations.
I don't know who to be afraid of more now; the mastermind or Byakuya. Ruling the world, secret societies; what is he, Lex Luthor?
Approaching Kyoko, he felt a strange sense of calm enter him, making him shake his head at the irony.
I feel calm entering a crime scene...everything's relative, I suppose.
He turned to face Kyoko and asked "Hey, Kyoko...have you made any progress on your investigation?"
"Generally speaking. But I have to get going. I have something unrelated to take care of."
Makoto raised his brow in curiosity and asked "Something besides the investigation? What...is it?"
Kyoko merely waived her hand and replied "Nothing you need to worry about. Just concentrate on the murder."
As she stood up and turned away, Makoto protested "But..." Why are you being so secretive, Kyoko? Shouldn't we be sharing information with each other right now, no matter how irrelevant?
Before opening the door, Kyoko offered "Before I go, let me give you one piece of advice. You should examine Chihiro's body one more time. Thoroughly. Also, her handbook is missing. You might want to determine its whereabouts. That's it. I'll be praying for your success."
As the door closed, Makoto thought My success? Yeah right; you're gonna solve this case and save us all again. All I'm good for is getting on the right track.
Makoto sighed and turned to examine Chihiro's corpse one more time, attempting to find out what Kyoko had tried to lead him to.
XXX
It was some time later that Monokuma had announced the start of the trial, and everyone had gathered in the waiting area. Everyone was waiting anxiously, though Monokuma had to drag Toko in by the braid kicking and screaming. At last, the elevator arrived and everyone started to file in.
Makoto started to sweat as he spoke to himself out loud "We have no choice, right? We have to do this."
"Yes."
Makoto jumped at how Kyoko had snuck up behind him again.
"Shall we begin?"
Makoto nodded and took the steps into the elevator, nervousness filling him as the elevator departed for the second class trial.
XXX
"And the wound on the victim's head is consistent with the shape of the dumbbell. As far as I'm concerned, there's no mistake and no room for doubt on this one."
Glad we could get that out of the way. Now that there's no automatic suspect, we're at a much greater degree of freedom to dig into facts and not jump to conclusions.
With the murder weapon solidified, the case moved on to discussing whodunnit. At this point, Byakuya returned to his presumption that Genocide Jack had committed the crime. Furthermore, he revealed that Toko was secretly Genocide Jack, citing secret police reports and Toko's sudden shift in behavior after seeing Chihiro's corpse as evidence. Afterward, to everyone's horror, Byakuya caused Toko to faint by overwhelming her, causing Genocide Jack to take over as Toko stood up. As if that wasn't shocking enough, Genocide Jack revealed that she had no hand in Chihiro's murder. To everyone's surprise, Makoto agreed, citing Chihiro's lack of stab wounds and the use of rope rather than scissors to suspend her.
After Genocide Jack added that she only killed adorable little men, it became grudgingly obvious that as heinous and psychotic as Genocide Jack was, she couldn't have been the one to kill Chihiro. With that out of the way, the question became who else would have had the inside knowledge to replicate Genocide Jack's methods with that degree of accuracy.
Wait...inside knowledge...I got it!
Makoto immediately pointed suspicion at Byakuya, pointing out that as the heir to the Togami Corporation, he had already seen that file and would have had no problem replicating Genocide Jack's methods. He also pointed out how Byakuya insisted on investigating the girl's locker room first, before anyone knew that the victim was Chihiro. To Makoto's confusion, Byakuya smiled in amusement.
"I see...That's a good answer, I must admit. Interesting. Very interesting indeed! But your reasoning is still too weak!"
"Huh?" I don't get it! Why isn't he sweating?
"What's the matter? You're not finished already, are you? There must be more to it..."
"Th...There is...I think..." Makoto stammered, caught off guard by Byakuya's demand for more proof.
Looks like he needs a little nudge…"There is more to it. Think about it. We just talked about the differences between this case and past Genocide Jack incidents. The proof you're looking for is hidden in there…"
"Oh? Proof that I'm the culprit?" Amusing; let's see where this double team leads us...Byakuya thought, surprised but amused at the turn of events.
Discussion then turned to the rope used to suspend Chihiro.
At that point, Byakuya boasted "I'd never seen that rope before in my life!"
Wait a minute...you HAVE seen it before!
Makoto revealed that the rope was actually an extension cord; the same one that Byakuya was using for the lamp in the library. Once that had been settled, everyone immediately believed that Byakuya was the culprit. However, Makoto wasn't convinced.
It seems...too obvious. And besides, he just seems too...calm. It's unnerving. I don't think we can call this case yet!
Makoto brought up the point that Chihiro may have been killed in the boy's locker room, then transported to the girl's locker room, citing the swapped posters and carpets as evidence. The discussion then turned to how Chihiro could have even entered the boy's locker room. Yasuhiro brought up the possibility that Chihiro used Leon's handbook, since he was dead, but that was shot down on account of Leon's handbook being broken. Kiyotaka suggested that Chihiro hacked her handbook to gain entry, but Monokuma shot that down by citing the security system in each handbook.
Everyone was stumped; nobody could think of how Chihiro's corpse could have been moved. Makoto looked down in despair, wracking his brain for any other possibilities.
Are we really...back at square one?
Looks like he's gonna need some help with this one...
It was then that his hopes were rescued by Kyoko's reassurance "...Hold on a second. I agree with you, though. I think you're on the right track."
Mondo objected, dumbfounded at Kyoko's vouching for Makoto's theory, and exclaimed that there was no way that Chihiro could have gotten into the boy's locker room.
Are you sure about that, Mondo? And why so forceful? "Why are you so sure she couldn't get in? There's still one other way she could have gained access."
One other way? What are you trying to tell me, Kyoko?
As Mondo and Kiyotaka expressed disbelief at Kyoko's theory and demanded an explanation, Kyoko replied "Well, to explain that...why don't we take a little break from the trial? I'd like you all to come see something."
"Just what do you think you're doing?!" How dare she! This is MY courtroom; I call the shots around here!
Shaking her head, Kyoko chuckled and answered Monokuma "Don't worry. This'll make the whole trial more exciting. I'm sure that thought must please you?"
Pleased at the thought of being more entertained, Monokuma granted a brief trial recess, but warned Kyoko that he'd be very unhappy if what she wanted to present turned out to be boring.
"Oh, I have no doubt it'll meet your lofty expectations. So, shall we go?"
XXX
"...The girl's locker room?"
Why are we back here? We already investigated the crime scene. What could we have possibly overlooked?
As Kiyotaka demanded what Kyoko was doing, she calmly replied "I'd like you to examine the victim's body, one more time."
You want to check it again? For what?
"Be sure to examine the entire body very carefully. Take your time."
Examine...you mean...like in NCIS and all those other crime shows?
All the other boys caught on and expressed great displeasure at running their hands over Chihiro's corpse, even for the purposes of solving her murder.
"...What about you, Makoto? Are you willing to examine Chihiro?"
Why me? I still get squeamish around murder scenes, now you want me to touch Chihiro's corpse? Well, I guess somebody has to, so I should take one for the team, I guess...I'm gonna have nightmares for the next week though…
"...Very well. I'll do it."
Makoto looked at Sakura in surprise, guiltily feeling grateful that he was spared from the task that she was about to undertake. Aoi protested to just let one of the boys do it, but Sakura countered that Chihiro would have wanted a girl to examine her.
As Sakura prepared to conduct the examination, Kyoko reiterated "Be sure to check her entire body, and I believe we will solve this particular mystery."
Sakura did as she asked, then froze partway through.
"Sakura?"
Sakura jumped back, screaming and yelling "Impossible. It's not possible!"
"What? What is it?"
"This girl is...a boy!"
Makoto's eyes widened as everyone save for Kyoko screamed in shock.
"Chihiro was...a guy?"
Before anyone else could say anything further, Monokuma appeared and confirmed it to everyone, then insisted that the trial recommence. With that, everyone awkwardly followed Monokuma back to the elevator, unsure what to make of this revelation.
Was that...Chihiro's secret? Kyoko...how did you figure it out?
XXX
"Yes, well...I don't know his reason for hiding it, but the fact is, Chihiro was not a girl, but a boy."
No way...the thought had never even crossed my mind...If Kyoko hadn't deduced it, we would have been sunk!
"And because the victim was male, he would have had no problem gaining access to the boys locker room." After Monokuma confirmed that Chihiro's handbook listed his sexuality as male, Kyoko concluded "So then, there should be no issue with Makoto's initial assertion. The victim was killed in the boys locker room, and was then later moved to the girls locker room. And the killer could have easily used Sayaka or Junko's handbook to get into the girls locker room."
"So Chihiro really was killed in the boy's locker room?"
Turning to Kiyotaka's aghast expression, Kyoko answered "I still don't understand the motive for moving the body, but...yes, that does seem plausible."
Everyone then turned their suspicions back on Byakuya, to which Byakuya merely chuckled and remarked how interesting this case was.
Turning to Makoto, Kyoko asked "What about you, Makoto? After everything we've learned, do you still think Byakuya's the killer?"
Is he? I mean sure, it's clear as day he manipulated the scene, but still...Byakuya said he'd do something original. And this...this isn't original at all...No, there's more to this, and unless we figure it out, we all die! Shaking his head, Makoto answered "I think he might not actually be the killer at all."
Makoto explained that it was too obvious, and that the revelations about the change in location and of Chihiro's actual sexuality wouldn't have shocked him if he was the culprit. With a disappointed gleam in his eye, Byakuya confirmed that he was not the culprit, then challenged Makoto to name the real murderer.
I...I don't know. There's still so much we don't know yet, and until we do, we can't definitively say who did it. Swallowing hard, Makoto answered "W-Well...I don't think I can say for sure without talking about it a little more."
When Yasuhiro complained that they were all sure Byakuya did it, Kyoko interjected "No, I'm with Makoto. If there's any doubt whatsoever, we need to explore every possibility. Because if we're wrong, we all die here."
With that everyone declared their agreement, and the debate moved on to how Celeste had seen Chihiro before he died, who had been stuffing a track jacket into a duffel bag before hurrying out. Celeste hypothesized that whoever he was meeting with, he trusted very much. Aoi continued that whoever Chihiro met with must have been the culprit.
"But knowing what we know now, I can't even guess..."
Alright, secret weapon time! "...No, you already have what you need to make the connection."
"Huh?"
"You know who the killer is."
I know who the killer is? Well I'm drawing a blank here, Kyoko!
"Think back to the track jacket and duffel bag the killer disposed of. Focus on the details of these items, and it should become obvious who was waiting for him."
But we barely even mentioned them. How can we draw a conclusion about two items that we don't even have anymore?
Celeste expressed Makoto's doubts, and Byakuya noted that there was nothing to get any fingerprints from, even if they had the technology to get them.
Kyoko shook her head and countered "Maybe, but we can make certain inferences, if we just take the time to talk it out."
Sakura revealed that the warehouse contained a wide variety of track suits to choose from, and wondered if there was a connection between the culprit and Chihiro's jacket.
"Perhaps. Let's explore that, and talk a bit more about the jacket he took."
Does Chihiro's jacket really hold some clue about the killer? It has to; I trust Kyoko's intuition! If she says there's a connection, then there's a connection!
Kyoko started the debate by summarizing "First of all, we know where Chihiro was headed...He was on his way to go exercise. So next we have to ask...Why did he choose the specific tracksuit that he did?"
Kiyotaka hypothesized that the two tracksuits matched colors, to which Mondo mused "So what you're saying is...The killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him?"
As Makoto focused on the debate, he felt something soft hit his knuckles.
Huh?
He looked down to see a crumpled ball of paper on top of his hand. Grabbing it, he say in Kyoko's handwriting the message "You heard him, right? What he just said without even realizing it?"
Kyoko?
Looking across from him, he saw Kyoko give him a subtle wink, making him blush before focusing on her note.
What he said without realizing it...wait a minute...we never talked about the color of the suit. That's it!
Makoto immediately questioned Mondo as to how he could have known that the suit's color was blue. Everyone grew incredibly more suspicious when Celeste revealed she only ever told Makoto that tidbit before the trial.
Kiyotaka tried to defend Mondo, saying that he must have seen it during the investigation, but Kyoko shot that possibility down, countering "No, that can't be it. The bag and clothes were surely disposed of by the time we began our investigation."
Mondo tried to defend that he saw it briefly as he ran into Chihiro in the hallway, but Makoto rebuffed him, saying that Chihiro made a point to stuff it out of sight after running into Celeste at the warehouse.
"If you just ran into him briefly, you couldn't possibly have seen what color the tracksuit was."
As Monod stood there fuming, Kyoko smirked and taunted "It would appear you've dug your own grave."
"Perhaps, but you handed him the shovel, didn't you? That's why you said what you did..."
Huh?
Everyone else then exclaimed that Kyoko's statement about the tracksuit was all a bluff to draw out Mondo's slip of the tongue.
So...I hadn't been missing something? The killer hadn't revealed himself yet; she just said that to put him on edge?
Smiling, Kyoko confirmed "That's right. However..." She pointed her ifnger directly at Mondo and declared "Mondo was my target all along. I had my suspicions about him from the very beginning!"
"But why? What made you so suspicious?"
Makoto looked at Kyoko's smiling expression and answered "That's a good question. Why don't you tell us the answer, Makoto?"
She's testing me again...wait a minute...Mondo's speech patterns...could that be what tipped her off?
Rather than leave Makoto guessing, Kyoko revealed "There was a certain tipping point that tipped me off. Maybe you didn't notice it, Mondo, but you tend to refer to men and women differently. You only call guys dude. For girls, it's chick. And after he was killed, you happened to refer to him as dude. Once I picked up on that, it occurred to me that Mondo knew something we didn't."
That's right. I guess since the possibility of Chihiro being a boy didn't cross my mind, Mondo's difference in speech pattern flew over my head. But it totally makes sense!
After Hifumi exclaimed in shock that Kyoko noticed such a seemingly insignificant detail, and Genocide Jack called her a frightful witch, Kyoko shook her head and replied "No, I'm not the frightful one. Not nearly as frightful as someone capable of murdering a friend."
"Mondo...did you really do it?"
At this, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader fumed and started ranting about how everyone was putting words in his mouth. Kiyotaka jumped in to defend Mondo, proclaiming it to be a false accusation.
Kyoko acquiesced "It's true, my reasoning on that is pretty shaky."
"Th...That was fast..." Is Kyoko really...wrong? But then why would she have brought it up?
At this point, with some encouragement from Yasuhiro after second guessing himself, Hifumi brought up a broken Handbook he found.
A broken handbook...wait...Chihiro's handbook was missing when he turned up dead...I got it!
"We know Chihiro's handbook was missing from the scene of the crime, right?"
Nodding, Kyoko replied "For a fact."
As Byakuya remarked on how the handbooks were supposed to be sturdy, Monokuma cackled about how the handbooks were nearly indestructible.
As Celeste remarked about how they seemed to have an unusually high failure rate after both Leon and Chihiro's handbooks broke, Monokuma cackled and challenged "Do you think there might be some kind of mystery in there somewhere? How precisely did the handbooks get broken?"
How did they get broken...wait a minute...he mentioned a weak point earlier...I got it!
Makoto revealed that Monokuma mentioned that the handbooks had a weak point, much ot the bear's chagrin. Monokuma protested that he never said what the weak point actually was.
"But if the handbook is supposed to never break, and two of them broke in quick succession, then..."
"The we can only assume that someone's figured out its weakness. You know what the weakness is, right Monokuma? So, what is it?"
After noticing that Kyoko was looking directly at him, Monokuma jumped and exclaimed "Huh? You're asking me?"
Kyoko smiled and answered "Why not? I think it's a necessary piece of information if you want this to be a fair trial."
After much prodding my Aoi, Monokuma acquiesced and explained that exposure to high temperatures would cause a handbook to short-circuit. Hifumi revealed that he found the handbook in the sauna.
If the handbook was found in the sauna…"Then the killer must have been purposely trying to raise its temperature in order to break it!"
Well done, Makoto.
With that, everyone started trying to determine how the culprit even knew of its weakness, since Monokuma never told anyone before the trial.
How would he have known about it?
"What if they found out by accident?"
Sakura looked at Kyoko, dumbfounded and asked "What do you mean, by accident?"
"What if the killer took their own handbook into the sauna, not knowing its weakness, and it broke? They'd realize it was broken, of course, and it wouldn't be hard to figure out why. And once they had Chihiro's handbook, they knew they had an easy way to dispose of it."
Byakuya wondered who would have done that, making Makoto's eyes open in epiphany.
Into the sauna...Oh my god! The bet that night...I got it! Okay; here's my answer. "Mondo...your handbook got broken in the sauna, didn't it?"
Makoto revealed that Mondo and Kiyotaka asked him to referee an endurance contest the night before the murder, and that Mondo had worn all his clothes during the contest. Makoto hypothesized that Mondo never took his handbook out of his jacket and discovered afterwards that his handbook stopped working. Kiyotaka jumped in to vigorously defend Mondo from suspicion, but Kyoko broke up the squabble.
"Let's test Makoto's assertion. If what he says is correct, then Mondo...You broke your own handbook."
Mondo fumed and retorted "Well my goddamned handbook works just fine!"
Wait a minute...your handbook...Monokuma said that Leon's handbook never should have broken. What if...oh god! "Mondo...the handbook you have right now...is it really yours?"
As Mondo stood there, dumbfounded by Makoto's question, Makoto clarified that he thought that Mondo swapped out his broken handbook with Leon's handbook. After Monokuma ruled that taking a dead student's handbook wasn't a violation of school rules, Makoto offered Mondo a chance to prove him wrong.
"I'm happy to admit I made a mistake..." I WISH that this was a mistake…
As Kiyotaka forcefully tried to rebut everything Makoto said, Makoto went through the case one last time, outlining the events of Chihiro's death and Mondo's cover-up, adding in Byakuya's interference for good measure.
Kiyotaka started ranting about how there was no evidence to convict Mondo, but through it all Makoto calmly challenged everyone to check their handbooks at that moment, which would prove whether Makoto's theory was right. As Kiyotaka was about to object, Mondo silenced him, confessing that he was guilty, and urging for the verdict.
With that, everyone, save for Kiyotaka, voted Mondo guilty. As Kiyotaka stared incredulously at Mondo, tears bubbling at the surface and screaming why he's done it, Monokuma interjected with Chihiro's backstory and request of Mondo to help him become stronger to overcome his inferiority complex.
"So then, that must be why Mondo did what he did - to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro."
Did what he did...Makoto's eyes widened in realization as he asked "That's why Mondo carried Chihiro from the boy's locker room into the girl's locker room?"
Kyoko nodded and replied "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."
When Hifumi asked if it could have only been done to cover up his crime, Kyoko shook her head and replied "That could have been part of it, but I don't think that was the main reason. The real purpose was to keep the promise between men he'd made to Chihiro."
"But...how does moving the body keep his secret?"
Sighing, Kyoko elaborated "Because if everyone knew he'd been killed in the boys locker room...then everyone would have been arguing about how she got into the boys locker room, right? Once that started up, at least a few of us would have immediately begun to suspect his identity. So...He tried to protect Chihiro's secret by putting him in the girls locker room and stealing his handbook. See?"
Mondo's silence was eerie, until Kiyotaka couldn't handle it anymore. Crying and angry, he grabbed Mondo by the lapels of his jacket and demanded to know why.
Forcing the words out of his mouth, Mondo squeaked "Because...no matter what, I didn't want anyone to know..."
Kyoko hummed in understanding and spoke "So that's what triggered it, after all. The possibility of having your embarrassing memories and secrets exposed…"
Mondo…
XXX
After exposing Mondo's secret of having inadvertently caused his brother's death, Monokuma forced everyone to watch Mondo's execution, despite Kiyotaka's pleas to execute him instead. Everyone watched in horror as Mondo was forced onto a motorcycle into an electrified death cage, then turned into a container of butter. Makoto looked way from Kiyotaka's sobbing frame, feeling anger at Monokuma's twisted sense of entertainment. Aoi expressed disgust along with Makoto at Byakuya's continued view that this was just a game.
Feeling disgust as well at Byakuya's callous attitude, but better able to mask it, Kyoko seethed "I don't have anything to say to you. I don't have a response, except that...I just don't understand why. Why did you go out of your way to disguise Mondo's crime?"
It was a mystery that had never been solved by the trial, and the answer was one that made Makoto wish the question had never been asked. Byakuya revealed that he had seen Mondo's murder on his way back to his room, and decided to withhold that information and to alter the crime scene so that the trial wouldn't become boring.
"So after hearing about Genocide Jack from Toko, you decided to use that...to create the fake murder scene?"
Byakuya smiled and remarked how it was ultimately necessary, then glared at Makoto and said something that sent chills down Makoto's spine.
"Once I do decide to become blackened, I now know who I'll have to watch out for."
Kyoko felt a desire to protect rise within her, but pushed it back down as she mused "So that was your reason…"
"Are you satisfied?"
Unless your next plot involves killing another student, then for now yes. "Yes. We're done listening to your story. Moving on...There's something I'd like to ask Monokuma."
As Monokuma turned to Kyoko in confusion, she clarified "You like to perform these elaborate executions each time, correct? My question is...why?"
Monokuma cackled and proclaimed that the resulting despair was his gift to mankind.
Kyoko scoffed and retorted "You're exaggerating."
Monokuma then ranted about how the punishments were meant to transform hope into despair. As Byakuya threatened to kill Monokuma once he was the victor, Monokuma cackled and disappeared from sight. With all their business seemingly settled, everyone filed into the elevator, Sakura supporting the still sobbing Kiyotaka into the elevator as the door closed behind them, symbolizing the end of yet another class trial.
XXX
Dinner was a quiet affair; Aoi and Kiyotaka weren't even present, the day's events too traumatizing for them to be able to partake in the food. It wasn't long before everyone else followed suit; their appetites lost, most everyone returned to their rooms as soon as they sufficiently filled their stomachs, leaving Makoto and Kyoko alone at the dinner table.
"...How are you feeling? Stupid question, I know, but I thought I should ask."
Makoto looked up from his plate, seeing Kyoko's lavender eyes peering at him with concern.
Makoto chuckled without humor and replied "Your questions have a tendency to save our lives, Kyoko. They're never stupid. And I'm doing alright, considering the circumstances."
Kyoko nodded in understanding as she replied "That's good. You seem to be handling this one better than the last one."
It didn't take a genius to understand where Kyoko was going with this; Makoto replied "Last time, Sayaka was killed in my room, and I was the lead suspect. I felt so nauseous and guilt ridden because even though I hadn't been the one to kill her, I felt responsible, like I should have been able to prevent it."
Before Kyoko could interject, Makoto held up his hand, continuing "And yes, I know that both she and Leon shared some of the blame of what happened. I may not have been able to mourn properly, but I've come to terms with that. This murder, no, manslaughter was different; I had no interaction with Mondo or Chihiro at the time when he died. As a result, there was no way I could have been a suspect, nor was there an opportunity for me to stop it. I'll always wish that I could have stopped it, but I don't feel the same guilt that I did with Sayaka."
Kyoko smiled, happy that Makoto wasn't exuding the same aura of depression that he was when Sayaka died. However, her smile settled into a frown when she saw Makoto look down in melancholy.
"What's wrong?"
Makoto sighed and replied "It's just...I shouldn't be surprised by now, but I just get so worked up whenever I hear how callously Byakuya views this whole thing. I mean, framing Genocide Jack just to keep the trial entertaining for him? Doesn't he understand that people are dying because of this? We're all traumatized by what's happening. The last thing we need is him meddling just because he doesn't want to be bored!"
Makoto huffed and looked away, causing Kyoko to place her gloved hand on his in comfort.
"Byakuya think of feelings as insignificant. It's cold and cruel, but it'll come back to bite him someday."
Makoto smiled, feeling better after hearing Kyoko's karmic prediction.
It's probably a lot more accurate than Yasuhiro's predictions.
Makoto chuckled at the thought, causing Kyoko to look at him and ask "What's so amusing?"
Makoto waved off her concern, replying "Oh nothing; just thought of something hilarious, but it's irrelevant."
As the two continued to pick away at their food, Makoto's mind wandered to the trial, and to Byakuya's explanations after Mondo's execution.
No, Byakuya; Kyoko's who you need to watch out for; I just got lucky and made a few contributions along the way. Looking at Kyoko, he thought to himself And she should know that too!
Makoto cleared his throat and started "You know, I don't think Byakuya was right when he implied that he'd have to watch out for me if he decided to become blackened."
Kyoko paused in the middle of taking a bite, raising an eyebrow at Makoto's assertion.
What does he mean by that? And what brought this on?
Makoto clarified "Throughout this entire case, you were the one who brought us closer to the truth, not me. You deduced Chihiro's sexuality, and your strategy made Mondo slip up. My contributions were minimal at best. If Byakuya ever does turn to the dark side, so to speak, he should watch out for you, not me."
Don't sell yourself so short, Makoto. All I did was give you a nudge when you needed it. "What brought this on?"
Makoto shrugged and replied "I had just been thinking of it since the trial, and figured I should give credit where it was due, is all."
Then give credit to yourself, too. You could stand to have a more inflated ego, Makoto.
The two continued to eat in silence, mulling over what the other had said, until Makoto asked "I've been curious; why didn't you outright reveal that Chihiro was a guy during the trial, or tell one of us during the investigation?"
"I suspect it was for the same reason that Mondo tried to keep Chihiro's secret after killing him. I didn't feel it was my place to reveal his secret if it could have been avoided. Unfortunately, it became clear that we couldn't expose Mondo without bringing it to light, so unfortunately we had no choice but to violate his privacy. And, I did try to tell you discreetly during the investigation."
But when would she have…"Oh, you meant when you told me to examine his body thoroughly?"
Kyoko nodded, and no more was said. The two continued to eat their dinner in silence, and when they were done, both stood up and started walking toward their dorms.
Before they parted, Kyoko turned to Makoto and urged him "Be careful, Makoto. Regardless of who, or even if, Byakuya decides to target, I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself. Your openness and honesty on the other hand, leaves open opportunities for others to take advantage of you, which puts you at a greater risk of being attacked than I."
As she said this, Kyoko felt that desire to protect rage in her. Though she was able to hide it, the presence left her concerned.
Why am I feeling this? Why do I feel so...focused on protecting Makoto?
Though he found it strange, Makoto didn't feel insulted by Kyoko's warning. Instead, he felt strangely comforted that Kyoko was watching out for him.
Smiling, he answered "Okay, Kyoko. I'll be a bit more careful from now on. Good night."
As the two went into their own separate rooms, Kyoko allowed a smile on her face and placed her hand over her heart.
I promise I'll protect you, Makoto.
She was still dumbfounded by the newfound desire, but she would not ignore it.
