"Well, look at that! You voted correctly! Congratulations, you guys!" Monokuma cheered. "Give yourselves a hand! Let me hear your joyful voices!" He neither got cheers, nor joyful voices. All he got was silence and quiet sobs from the group of students.

"Ah-hem! I said, let me hear your joyful voices!" Monokuma tried again, but again, he didn't get any kind of response that time either, making him sigh loudly. "Geez, they're all just moping around! They should be happy for themselves!"

"..." Monodam continued to stare blankly into the distance, neither agreeing with his father nor saying anything to comfort the survivors. And yet, his silence had its own air of sadness in it, one his father chose to ignore.

"Hey, Kokichi… I thought you said this would liven things up. I know you said you were planning on some kind of mercy kill or something like that, but I thought that was just another lie to trick everyone into believing you. So what gives?" Monokuma asked. "I even gave you that flashback light with the motive-the secret of the outside world in it to help you do that."

"Ah-haha, it's just like I told you. That was juuust a lie." Kokichi smirked playfully.

"Oh, so it was just a lie." Monokuma giggled.

"Why are you just laughing that off!?" Tenko shouted.

"Are you satisfied, Kokichi?" Shuichi asked pointedly. "I want you to tell us. What is the 'outside world'? Why exactly did you set all of this up?"

"Why don't you ask Rin about that?" Kokichi asked before tilting his head over to where Rin was and giving an even wider smirk. "Well, I guess you can't, considering that sad state he's in. Good job, by the way. Way to completely shatter his spirit."

"That wasn't Shuichi's fault!" Kaede immediately shouted, her face turning a shade of red as she yelled. "How dare you try to pin that on Shuichi! This is all your fault!"

"She's not wrong. You were the one who kickstarted this entire thing. If you hadn't manipulated Gonta and proceeded with that suicide plan of yours, none of this would have even happened." Rantaro frowned as he crossed his arms.

"Indeed. While Maki has been declared the blackened for this trial, you are just as at fault for these deaths." Kirumi added before her small frown deepened as she stole a glance at Rin, who was still just staring off at nothing as if still trying to process something in his mind. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say he was still trying to figure out how to deny it in his mind. "I must say, the fact that you will be unpunished despite your part in this mess is…particularly frustrating."

"Nee-heehee… Hate the game, not the player." Kokichi told her with a childish laugh that completely lacked any sort of remorse. "Well, I do plan to explain everything to you all, but it's more like, how do I say it…? You guys are just gonna assume it's a lie if you hear it from my cute lips."

"Then I'll explain my part in this mess first. I'd rather you not waste any time since these are my final moments." Maki sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh? Are you saying you aren't scared of your appending death, Maki-roll?" Kokichi asked with a smile. Maki immediately shot him a dirty glare when she heard what he said.

"Don't. EVER. Call me that." Maki growled in a voice that boarded on pure evil before the menacing aura disappeared completely as if Maki couldn't even be bothered to keep up the pressure at this point in time. "But no. I'm not. Not really. I was taught a long time ago that those that kill should always be prepared to be killed themselves. Terrible people like me, no matter what we do or how we try to change, just aren't meant to have peaceful, happy lives. That's why things ended up like this. It's just who I am as a person. It's only fair, I guess. A life of blood can only end bloody as well."

"Maki…" Shuichi began, but Maki shook her head.

"Don't. I've already accepted it. Let's just get this over with."

"Alrighty then! If that's what Maki wants, then I'll let her go first. She is the culprit, after all. Her side of the story is a lot more important." Kokichi said proudly, getting a sigh out of everyone minus the still catatonic Rin.

"Well, Maki, can you explain why you… Why this had to happen?" Kaede asked while doing her best not to cry.

"...Yes." Maki gave a slow nod. It was a sad nod, but also one of acceptance. "It started when I heard knocking on my door and opened it up to find Kaito with a worried expression on his face. He needed help with something, he said. A private matter. So I let him in so he could explain further. That's when he showed me the note he had gotten."

"What is this?" Maki questioned after she read the letter Kaito had given her.

"I know, right? It's pretty sketchy." Kaito muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "I mean, Rin planning a murder? Can you actually believe whoever wrote this wants me to buy this crap?"

"It is strange, but Rin has been acting strange too, hasn't he?" Maki questioned. "He had this look in his eye when we all came to check up on him. It was…dark. Unlike anything I've seen on him before. Don't you think that might mean anything?"

"Of course not! As if Rin of all people would try to kill someone. Don't tell me you're actually suspicious of him, Maki Roll." Kaito frowned.

"Don't be stupid. I was only bringing up his odd behavior. While he has been a little off as of late, that's no reason to suspect him of planning a murder. Everything he's done as of late has been to prevent deaths. Such a sudden and drastic change is something only an idiot would believe. That's why I thought I had to make sure you weren't falling for such an obvious ploy."

"Hey! Are you calling me an idiot again? That's not cool, Maki Roll!" Kaito shouted as he pouted for a bit.

"Anyway, what's your take on that letter you got? You said someone pushed it under your door, and that the sender didn't write their name on it. To me, it could only be a trap."

"Yeah. I sorta figured that, too. Sending me such a weird letter that's full of stupid stuff like Rin being a murderer and stuff and not even bothering to put a signature on it? The only way to describe it is cowardly. Whoever wrote this is probably the one planning a murder, and it looks like I'm the target." Kaito then nodded to himself before flashing Maki a smile. "Looks like I know where I need to go, then."

"What?" Maki blinked a few times when she heard that. "You can't be serious. Kaito, whoever sent you this might be trying to kill you. You understand that, right?"

"Of course I understand. It's why I gotta go and talk to 'em about it." Kaito crossed his arms, not budging an inch on his stance.

"Do you even hear what you're saying?" Maki growled as she facepalmed. "You're walking into a death trap. I expect this sort of idiocy from Rin, but at least he always seems to have backup plans for when he walks toward death. What are you trying to achieve by doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious? Whoever is trying to kill me will just go try to kill someone else if I don't show up. It's why they didn't write down their signature, yeah? So if I don't go, I'd be throwing someone else to the wolves." Kaito explained with an uncharacteristic seriousness to his words. "I gotta be the one to do this. I mean, maybe I can talk them down. I mean, if I can do that, then no one has to die, and we can all go back to living together and tryin' to figure out how to escape this place. Besides, Rin has the card key for the motive, so whoever wrote this probably is doing it for a reason Monokuma didn't give them. That might mean they'll be easier to convince to give up their plan."

"Even so, willingly doing what the letter asks of you is too risky."

"That's why I need your help, Maki Roll," Kaito responded. "Who better to keep me outta trouble than you? You're way smarter than me, and unlike Shuichi, you can probably beat anyone here in a fight."

"You're… asking me to be your bodyguard?"

"Yeah. If anything goes wrong, I'll need someone there to help me take whoever wants to kill me by force. Can't ask anyone else to help me with this."

"You say that, but you could've asked someone else to help you. In fact, I would have thought you would have asked Rin since he's already dealt with this before."

"That's true. Rin's already made plans to prevent murders before, so he'd probably be able to figure out how to solve this problem. He might be able to talk down anyone with how he usually is with this kind of stuff too since he can be kinda scary like you sometimes." Kaito admitted with a small laugh. "But I think that he needs a bit of a brake. We always rely on him for this stuff. We shouldn't have to, though. He might be an Ultimate like us, but even he has limits. That's why I'm asking you. I trust you just as much as Rin. In fact, I trust you more when it comes to fighting. So will you help me? We can't leave this alone, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because I wouldn't do anything about it."

Maki bit her lower lip as she internally fought with herself on the issue. This was a stupid plan. Incredibly stupid. One wrong move, and one of them, or perhaps even both of them could end up dead. However, Maki would be lying if she didn't find herself happy with how much Kaito was trusting her with this. He was trusting her with his life. He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. Not with who… Not with what she is. And yet he still made that conscious decision. It made her feel something she has never felt before, and she like it. So she couldn't just say no to him.

"Fine. I'll help you not die." Maki sighed while Kaito pumped his fist into the air victoriously.

"Hell yeah! Thanks, Maki Roll! I'm trustin' ya with this."

"I know. So I suppose that means I can't let you down then." Maki replied with a tiny huff as she played with her hair, a small bit of blush adorning her face as she looked away from the stupid astronaut in her room.

It didn't take long for them to figure out a plan of attack before they headed off toward the meeting place. The moment they got there Kaito entered the stairway as Maki stayed outside. She was to stay by and wait for Kaito to give her a signal before she did anything, so she stood close to the entrance and waited nervously. She was close enough to hear Kaito talking with the person who sent him that letter, but she couldn't make out what exactly they were saying. What Maki could hear, though, was who was in there with Kaito. She felt her fist tighten with anger and frustration when she heard Kokichi's voice, and she felt confused when she heard Gonta was also in there. That made her feel a bit more at ease. Even if Kokichi was planning something, there was no way Gonta would try to do something.

…Right?

That's what Maki thought, but she was too careless. To naive. Too stupid to not be more proactive in her part of the plan. Kaito hadn't wanted her to enter with him in case they freaked out the one who sent him that message or prompt them to do something even more reckless if they saw her. Kaito had reassured her constantly that he would be fine on his own at first and that if talking them down didn't work that he would give her an immediate shout so that she could jump into the fray. She would have, too. But she never had the chance to when she heard Kaito start yelling angrily.

And then, she heard him cough. Roughly and wetly. And then there was a loud thud. Like something or someone had fallen over.

Signals be damned. Screw the plans. Maki felt a pit in her stomach when she heard that, so all bets were now off. She burst into the room, and the moment she saw Kaito lying on the ground and blood around him, she saw red.

"Everything after that is a bit of a blur," Maki explained with a sad frown. "I remember seeing Kokichi and Gonta standing over Kaito's body, so my body just…moved on its own. I threw my knife at Kokichi and hit his arm. That's when Gonta picked him up and ran up the stairs. I was so angry, that I just picked up the knife and ran after them. I didn't even…check if Kaito was still alive."

"Maki…" Tenko cried as she held the hem of her skirt.

"It's understandable that you would be angry and immediately suspect the worst if you walked in on a scene like that." Rantaro frowned before he shook his head. "But you seriously messed up by jumping the gun like that. If you had only calmed down a little, things might have been different. None of this might have happened."

"I know that already. That's why I'm ready for what comes next. All of this…is my fault." Maki muttered. "Kaito trusted me to protect him. To have his back during all of that. And yet I… I failed him in the worst way possible."

"It's just like Kaito to want to talk his would-be-murderer down from their plan." Kaede gave a weak laugh as tears dropped from her cheeks and she held herself tightly. Shuichi just held his head with one of his arms and looked down at the ground, his eyes hidden under his bangs.

"Kaito…"

"He was brave. I am not sure I would have wanted to try to save someone who wanted to kill me. I cannot even imagine attempting to do that with…with Tsumugi." Kirumi admitted as her hand subconsciously moved to her chest. "Kaito was too kind and brave."

"More like too trusting," Kokichi muttered, though there wasn't any real venom in his voice. In fact, he sounded almost sad. "I guess it's my turn to explain what happened before Little Miss Assassin tried to kill me. As you know, my plan was to have Gonta kill Kaito with poison and frame me for the crime."

"Yes. The goal was to end the trial with us voting for you, getting it wrong in the process." Keebo nodded. "After that, Gonta would have survived while the rest of us, including you, were executed."

"A mass suicide." Shuichi summarized.

"That's right." Kokichi gave a slow nod at that. "I wrote that letter and sent it to Kaito. After that, Gonta and I waited for Kaito to arrive, and once he did, we tried to initiate our plan."

"Hiya, Kaito! So glad you were able to join us!" Kokichi cheerfully greeted when he saw the Ultimate Astronaut enter the stairwell.

"Kokichi. Somehow, I had a feeling it was you who wrote that sketchy note." Kaito grumbled as he turned to where Gonta was. "Gonta, too? Just what the hell is this?"

"Oh, we just wanted to talk to you. Is that so wrong?" Kokchi asked with a wide smile. "Besides, if you came here, you must want to know what I meant in that letter I sent you, right? About Rin planning a murder on me?"

"That's a fat stack of bullshit and you know it, Kokichi. As if Rin of all people would try to murder anyone. Hell, I wouldn't have believed it even if you had tried to accuse someone else!"

"Really? Are you so naive that you wouldn't believe that someone was planning to murder someone else? Even after all this time? After three class trials?" Kokichi asked.

"Of course I wouldn't believe that crap! We've all made it this far, so of course none of us would give in to this killing game at this point!" Kaito claimed confidently. "And besides, no one has seen Monokuma's motive this time around! Rin told us the card key didn't do anything, so there'd be nothing to kill for anyway! So you're just trying to trick me! Why don't you tell me why you really brought me here?"

"Hmph. You're so confident about all that, Kaito. Are you seriously that stupid?" Kokichi scoffed. "You don't think that Rin might be lying about what he told you in regard to the card key? Don't you think that he must have seen something for him to end up like a complete wreck? Gonta told me all about it. He looked like a hot mess, riiiiiight? Don't you think that's the tiniest bit suspicious?"

"Ha! Like you're one to talk! If I remember correctly, you were acting just as strange yesterday." Kaito pointed out. "And do you really expect me to believe you when you tell me Rin is lying about seeing the motive? What's the saying? 'The pot calling the kettle black', or something like that?"

"Aw, don't be like that. I'm telling you the truth this time! Honest to goodness! Cross my heart and hope to die!" Kokichi promised, though Kaito just let out a scoff.

"How would you know anyway? Rin's the only one who had the card key to see the motive. No one else would know if he was lying or not unless they were with him when he used the card key."

"And what if I told you that's exactly the case?" Kokichi asked as his expression became a blank one.

"What?"

"But before we get to that, why not have a drink? What's a serious discussion with friends without a few drinks?" Kokichi asked with a friendly smile. "Hey, Gonta. You can give it to him now."

"Right." Gonta nodded, speaking for the first time since Kaito had arrived. "H-Here." Gonta sheepishly offered the bottle to Kaito, but Kaito just clicked his tongue at the gesture.

"I can't believe this. Do you honestly think it's that easy for me to fall into your trap? And Gonta. How could you be working with a snake like him?! Don't you know that he's probably the one who's trying to murder someone? How do I know that bottle isn't filled with poison or something?"

Gonta looked startled at that and turned to Kokichi, who didn't seem too fazed by Kaito's accusation. In fact, Kokichi just sighed as he shook his head.

"I had a feeling not even you would fall for this. And to be honest, I didn't think you would." Kokichi admitted with a shrug.

"Huh?! Kokichi?" Gonta's eyes widened when he heard that, but Kaito just clenched his fists tighter.

"You little–! So you are trying to–"

"Well, never mind that. I had a better way to do this anyway." Kokichi proudly said as he pulled out a Flashback Light.

"W-Wait! That's a–"

Kaito didn't get to finish before Kokichi turned the device on. And within the flash that blinded him, Kaito saw it. The fire. The destruction. The despair. He saw it all. And before he realized what was happening, he was on his knee, heaving heavily. Gonta was saying something and hunched over him asking if he was alright while Kokichi was laughing like a maniac.

"You've seen it now, right?! That horrible sight! You understand, don't you?! You get why Rin lied about what he saw, right?!" Kokichi raved with a lunatic as he flashed a crazed smile.

"Y-You…" Kaito growled, but he couldn't say anything else, else he throw up everything he had eaten before coming there.

"Do you understand why Gonta and I are doing this now? Why you need to die?" Kokichi asked in a dark tone. "No one should know that's what we all were fighting for. It would destroy them. It broke Rin, and it nearly broke me. So we should give the others mercy and kill them before they have a chance to discover the truth like we did! Don't you want to save them from that fate? Gonta and I do, so if it means we need to kill them all to do it, we'll do it. It's for the good of everyone."

"H-How will killing me help them?" Kaito growled. "That will just lead to another trial, and that will just lead to another…wait."

"Oh? Did you figure it out? My plan?" Kokichi asked as he crouched down to Kaito's level with a twisted smile that made him look sorta like the Grinch. "Like I said. We're gonna give them the mercy of not finding out the truth, even if that means killing them. A mercy kill, if you will. Gonta will kill you, and then we'll make it look like I was the culprit. No one will believe me even if I tell them who the culprit really is, since I'm a liar and all, and that makes me sooooo untrustworthy for you all. They'll all vote for me, and Gonta will be the only one to survive."

"So you're just using Gonta!"

"No…" Gonta suddenly interrupted, shaking his head. "Gonta…not want to hurt everyone. But Gonta…want to save them. Save them from hell outside this school. If… If hell inside school, and hell outside school, then what Gonta's friend fight and kill for before? Gonta…not want everyone to feel that way. So…please help Gonta and Kokichi save everyone! Save everyone from horrible truth!" Gonta pleaded with Kaito, who could only look shocked by what the gentle giant was asking of him.

"See. I'm not telling Gonta to do anything. I'm not forcing him or manipulating him. I only showed him what I showed you, and he agreed with me. He agreed that we need to do this in order to save everyone. So help us, Kaito. Help us save them. Let us kill you, and we'll save them from this awful truth. Don't you want that? Isn't it better that die ignorant of the truth instead of falling into despair and depression once they do see the truth?"

Kokichi's tone had changed at that point. It was no longer dark, or cruel, or twisted. He wasn't even smiling anymore. Kaito couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kokichi was pleading with him. He was almost begging him to help him with this. To let himself be killed for the sake of keeping the others in the dark about what he was forced to see.

And Kaito…thought about it. For only a moment, but he thought about it. Would it be better for everyone to never find out about the destruction that he saw? Would it be better if they never found out that everything they have done and that all of the pain and death that has happened thus far was pointless?

Pointless?

"Hey, Kaito. What would you do if all this ends up being pointless?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. If everything that's happened here in this killing game, the suffering, the pain, the deaths…if it all ends up being for nothing, what would you do?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Huh?"

"Even if, and this is a big if, everything that's happened was 'pointless', why would that matter? What would even make it 'pointless'? The situation we're in? Whatever truth awaits us? None of that matters! All that matters is how I feel about all of this, and how I feel is that all of this wasn't pointless. Our friends died, but they didn't die in vain! Even if there's an ugly truth that will crush us waiting for us in the future, even if it's something as terrible as 'our friends died for nothing', I won't let it get to me! I'm the one who decides what has meaning and what doesn't have meaning! Who cares if the rest of the world thinks it's pointless? As long as it matters to me, it matters!"

That's right… Rin asked him the same thing, didn't he? In the pit of hopelessness and despair, he asked Kaito for advice, and Kaito told him that none of it was pointless, no matter what the truth was. It would be pretty hypocritical of him to go back on that now, would it?

"Sorry, Kokichi, but it's not happening. I won't let you kill me, or yourself, or anyone else." Kaito said as he stood back up, fire in his eyes as he stared Kokichi in the eyes. "Even in the face of this horrible truth, I know that everyone will stay strong. We can get through this together. No one has to die!"

"You…!" Kokichi's hopeful expression twisted back into anger as his eyes sharpened into angry blades aimed right at Kaito. "You're completely hopeless! You're even stupider than I could possibly imagine! Well, you don't get to choose then. Gonta, force him to drink it."

"Right. Gonta sorry." Gonta told Kaito with tears in his eyes as he approached with the poisoned drink.

"Tch! As if I'd ever let you do that. I have an ace up my sleeve." Kaito smirked. He was about to shout, but before he could, he felt something come up from his throat, and hunched over, nearly falling back down to the ground as coughs wracked his body.

"Cough…Cough cough COUGH!"

"H-Huh?"

"K-Kaito?"

Kokichi and Gonta looked shocked as blood was spat out of Kaito's mouth, dripping down his lips and through the hand covering his mouth as it dripped to the ground. Kaito removed his hand and stared at his now-shaking hand with wide, terrified eyes as he held back more coughs.

"D-Damn it… Not now. Not when I…still got things to do…!" Kaito said before he collapsed onto the ground, heaving as blood in his throat began to choke him.

BAM!

And that's when she came barging in.

"So even after witnessing the secret of the outside world, Kaito still refused to hurt anyone and let himself be killed for your plans." Rantaro frowned sadly.

"Yeah. He may have been stupid, but he certainly was stubborn regarding his beliefs." Kokichi grumbled. "So that's it. That's the truth of this case. Are you happy? Are you happy that you got the truth you so desperately sought? I don't think Rin is."

"You be quiet! You have no right to say that after orchestrating this entire affair!" Kirumi growled as she glared at the Supreme Leader.

"So you did all this because of what you and Rin saw?" Kaede asked in a confused tone as she looked back at the still-unmoving Rin before returning her gaze to Kokichi. "Was it really…that bad?"

"You could say that. Yes."

"And what you both saw was the motive. And that motive…was something to do with the outside world?" Shuichi questioned, getting another frown out of Kokichi.

"Maaaaaaybe."

"But that means…that this secret of the outside world…if it was loaded into a Flashback Light by Monokuma, doesn't that mean it's one of our lost memories?" Tenko questioned.

"But why would anything about the outside world be a motive in the first place?" Keebo asked. "What's…going on here?"

"Huuuh, you can't remember? Well, I suppose that's only understandable. The only person I trusted with the secret of the outside world was Gonta, after all." Kokichi shrugged. "He was willing to take on the heaviest burden for us by being the only survivor. He was stronger than any of us. And yet…"

"Gonta. Wh-What are you doing?" Kokichi asked in a panicked voice as Gonta carried him up the stairs. "Y-You need to get away. Hide somewhere! Just leave me, okay? It's fine, right? I-If Maki kills me, then there's no need for you to kill anyone! Just focus on getting away from that blood-thirsting maniac and go! Just survive and…do what you think is right. Either reveal Maki's crime or let her win. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't let her kill you! This wasn't…supposed to happen!"

"...Sorry," Gonta muttered in a trembling whisper. "Gonta no can do that."

"Huh?!"

"Gonta know…Kaito maybe right. That Kokichi probably just using Gonta." Gonta said as he kept running. "But…Gonta still think Kokichi friend. And Gonta…want to save everyone. Kokichi too. This not part of plan, so Gonta do what he think is right. Gonta not let Maki hurt you!"

"Gonta, you IDIOT!" Kokichi screamed. "She'll kill you if you get in her way! Just leave me and let her have what she wants! I'm already ready to die! I want to die! I don't want to go on anymore anyway! That's why you were supposed to survive! So there's no need to do this!"

"Yes. There is."

Kokichi's now teary eyes bulged when Gonta said that. It was so absurd. How could Gonta honestly believe that?

He had no time to ponder that any further, as Gonta had finally reached the top and burst through the door to Kaito's research lab. Gonta quickly looked around before he stomped over to the model rover and plopped Kokichi down inside.

"You safe here. Gonta go talk to Maki now." Gonta told Kokichi as he began closing the lid to the rover.

"N-No!" Kokichi began as he tried to get out, but his injury kept him from moving before Gonta had closed the lid. "Gonta! Don't do it!"

"Kokichi need to live. Kokichi smarter than Gonta. Gonta only strong, but not strong enough to protect friends or stop Exisals and Monokuma. Gonta can only do this." Gonta told Kokichi with a smile. "Plan no longer working, so Kokichi need to live to make new plan. Maybe one where everyone lives."

"G-Gonta…" Kokichi cried out.

"Gonta sorry Gonta not able to help you. Maybe Gonta stop Maki, though, and then after that, we try again. Or maybe stop and do something else. Gonta not want to hurt anyone or lie to anyone. Gonta just want to save everyone. So Gonta need to do this. To save Maki from being blackened, and to save you from dying."

"No…don't do it," Kokichi said before shutting his eyes and screaming. "GONTA!"

"He tried to save you! And you didn't even bother to listen. You just kept hurting him again and again before you killed him. That's why I won't forgive you! I'll never forgive you for what you did to Gonta!" Kokichi screamed with hatred as he snarled at Maki, who could only stand there and take it. She didn't even bother fighting against what he was saying. She just stood there, accepting it all.

"So…that's it? This is really how it ends?" Kaede asked.

"Yes. It is." Maki said. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Maki…" Shuichi began, but then–

"How dare you."

A soft growl came out that made everyone freeze and turn around.

"Rin?" Kirumi asked.

"You don't…have any right to be sorry…" Rin snarled as he stood there, head pointed towards the ground and his hair covering his eyes, preventing anyone from seeing his expression. "After everything you just did, all you have to say is 'sorry'?"

"Rin, hold on a–"

"Shut up." Rin cut off Keebo. "I don't want to hear anything about 'calming down' or anything like that." Rin's hands shook as he clenched his fists. "This…is all my fault. I can admit that now."

"R-Rin?" Kaede tried to say something, but she trailed off in shock as a terrifying amount of bloodlust started pouring out of Rin.

"It was my fault that we were stupid enough to trust you with anything!" Rin screamed, his teeth bared like fangs and he spat out venomous words. "You're nothing but a killer. Kokichi was right about that. Why did I ever think you were anything more than that?! But more than that, I can't accept what you just said. 'Sorry'. You're 'sorry'? After everything that's happened, that's all you have to say. You killed someone just because of a misunderstanding and your temper! And you just say 'sorry'!? You think that justifies anything?! That it makes anything better now that we've lost two more people!? That's something I won't accept!"

That's when Rin's head shot up to look at Maki, and everyone felt their skin pale with what they saw.

Rin had been angry before, and the people who had witnessed it could compare it to when Maki was angry. His eyes would glow a fiery red color as he made his anger known. His face would darken, and his eyes sharpen to the point it was like he could see through them. But this was different. This was something much more severe than mere anger.

His face was even darker now, with shadows from his hair masking his entire face. Only one thing was visible through the shadows. His eyes, and they were monstrous. Anger did not do the emotion reflected any justice. Large, sharpened eyes glared back at Maki like a snake's. A predator ready to attack its prey. Wrinkles around the eyes showed just how much fury was no longer being held back. But more than anything was what the eyes themselves looked like. Bloodshot, Rin's eyes were doing more than glowing a furious crimson red. They had shrunk to pinpoints aimed right at the Ultimate Assassin as darkness surrounded the edges of his eyes.

Blades. That's what they were. Blades aiming lethal hatred right at Maki.

Where his fury and anger had previously been like a hot fire, his expression could only be described as cold. His anger had always been born out of care for others. This was not that. This was hatred. Pure and simple as that. Hatred just for the sake of hatred.

"I said I would kill you with my own hands. So hurry up and die already. Stop wasting my time."

No one could say anything. They could only stare at Rin in confusion…and fear.

Something was deeply wrong, and they had no time to figure it out anymore.

"I concur with Mister Wakuri. I think it's time we end it. You've all been waiting very patiently for what comes next, riiiiight?" Monokuma said as he began giggling to himself.

"What happens next? You mean the execution?" Shuichi grimaced.

"No! I don't… I can't see something like that again! I don't want to see any more of my friends die like that!" Kaede cried.

"Friends?" Rin tilted his head ever so slightly at that. "Who said anything about 'friends'?"

"What do you mean? Of course we're friends?" Tenko shouted. "We all suffered and survived this long in this terrible place. It only makes sense we don't want to see each other suffer anymore!"

"But we aren't friends, are we? Friends don't hurt each other like this. Friends don't kill each other." Rin stated with an emotionless voice. "Maki…has never been our friend."

"Are you saying you don't care about Maki dying?" Rantaro asked as he watched Rin carefully.

"No. I don't. Not anymore." Rin answered without any hesitation. "So hurry up and get started. Don't waste any more of my time playing pretend with a killer. I'm not here to play house with you all."

"Rin…I…" Maki began before Rin shot back around to glare at her.

"You have no right to speak to me. Don't act like we're friends. We're not. We have never been friends. Don't ask for forgiveness. I don't care what happens to you anymore, so just die already so I can move on with my life and forget you. That's all you deserve. To be forgotten. Leave no trace of your existence behind. The world would be better off without people like you."

There was only silence and chills after he finished speaking. Maki just stood there, looking back at his pure loathing with sadness as she averted her eyes. She did not cry, nor did her expression change from what it was before. She just remained sad, but accepted it without fuss.

"You're right. The world would be better off without people like me. There's nothing I can say to make things right. I don't deserve forgiveness, and I don't even deserve to ask for any. All I can do…is atone." With that, she turned to Monokuma. "I'm ready. Go ahead and get it over with it."

"Fufufufu… How delightful! It's not often we get someone who is ready for their execution like this. Are you not going to run or scream or fight for your life?"

"There's no point. This is all I can do to make up for what I've done. Blood can only be repaid with blood." Maki replied with a small frown. "So…let's hurry up and do this."

"N-No! Maki! You can't!" Kaede said before Maki stopped her and shook her head.

"Don't worry about me anymore. It's fine. Really. I'm fine with an ending like this. I know I don't have any right in saying this, but just survive after I'm gone. Beat this game without anyone else dying. And I do mean that." Maki said as she turned to steal a glance at Kokichi, who saw her glance as his eyes widened in surprise. "No one deserves to die in a place like this. Not even you."

"You…" Kokichi began before biting his lips and turning away. "Don't act like you care all of a sudden. You tried to kill me."

"Yes, I did. And I was wrong. So don't go off and get yourself killed after Gonta and I died for you and the others to survive. At least try to work together. Even if you're an asshole, you had someone who wanted you to stay alive. So don't throw away that goodwill. Can you at least do that? For Gonta and Kaito, at least?"

"...Yeah. I promise." Kokichi said softly.

"Good. At least one good thing came from this." Maki then took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "...Are you ready Monokuma."

"Yes indeed! It's time to punish the Ultimate Assassin, Maki Harukawa! I've prepared a very special punishment for you!" Monokuma proudly said.

Maki stood there as Monokuma spoke. She just kept looking on with sad acceptance as the others either couldn't or, in Rin's case, wouldn't say anything. But right before the end, she said one last thing.

"I really thought…I had changed. I guess not, huh Kaito."

"Well, then, let's give it everything we've got! It's…PUNISHMENT TIIIIME!"

Then, just like before, Monokuma took out his gavel and slammed it onto the button in front of his throne. Like before, the monitor above us showed an 8-bit sprite of Monokuma dragging Maki off to her execution.

GAME OVER

Maki Harukawa has been found guilty!

Time for the punishment! :)

For the fourth time now, a chain shot out from the darkness and forcibly attached itself around Maki's neck before dragging her away through the steel doors. No one could even move as Maki was dragged away. Rin didn't bother moving or even looking terrified or sad even though he could. The monitors began to come to life as they always do after the blackened was taken away. They began to show us the scene of the execution, starting with the title card.

Excommunicado

Ultimate Assassin, Maki Harukawa's Execution: Executed

The execution began by showing a massive city filled with skyscrapers. It looked sort of like Tokyo, or perhaps New York. Maki was shown walking around the empty streets in confusion. It only made sense, considering what she was now wearing. For some reason, Monokuma had given her things she didn't have on her person before she was dragged off. Namely, she had the red cloak that was in her lab, as well as a plethora of weapons on her, including guns, knives, and even a freaking crossbow. Literally, any kind of weapon you might see an assassin with was on her now, and she had no idea why.

That's when all the electronic billboards and TVs in the city began to flicker before showing static. They were all on the frits for some reason, but then they turned black. That's when a mugshot of Maki appeared on the screens with the word 'Excommunicado' stamped over her picture, and the message 'order 11111 confirmed' under the picture.

That's when Maki noticed something was happening around her. People were now coming out of the buildings and shadows. They all were wearing Monokuma helmets and carrying various different weapons. Most alarming was how they all were slowly making their way toward Maki.

That's when Maki noticed one last thing that was on the screens. A bounty for her head. 14 million.

So that's how it is, huh? Maki scoffed and rolled her eyes. As if something like this would scare her. She's been through worse. And if they wanted her to die quietly, they really shouldn't have given her weapons and set her loose in this fake city.

Brandishing two of her guns, Maki aimed the hunters coming close to her, her red eyes glowing within the darkness of the city. She had been ready to die in this execution, but if they were going to give her the option to fight back, then she might as well, right?

BANG BANG!

Two bullets entered the first two hunters' heads. Easy shots. Maki began unloading her clips onto as many of the hunters as she could as she took quick steps away from her would-be-killers. She had to keep her distance or it would be over. They outnumbered her by a large margin.

Unfortunately for them, she was the Ultimate Assassin.

Within moments, dozens of the hunters fell as Maki perfectly landed headshot after headshot. Then when she ran out of ammo for the guns she was currently holding, she switched them out for a new pair of guns and continued the process.

She couldn't keep all of the hunters at bay, since she was completely surrounded by them, so once a few hunters began trying to sneak up behind her, she simply jumped up and landed on the shoulders of one of the hunters. Then, as if it were part of some parkour video game, she began leaping from one hunter to another, never once stopping her attacks and shots as she darted over the massive group of people trying to kill her.

That's when one hunter tried to stop her by grabbing her leg, but that only got him a knife stuck in his face as Maki fell to the ground. She landed on her knees and threw a handful of knives at the hunters close by her as she got back onto her feet. The knives sank into their Monokuma helmets as they fell to the ground. But Maki didn't care if these faceless people died. She just wanted to survive if she could.

But just as she began pulling out her crossbow, she saw something that made her freeze. Off in the distance, there was someone familiar looking. They had spiked-up magenta hair and a bright purple blazer.

No… that's not possible.

Maki knew it wasn't possible, but she couldn't help what she felt at that moment, so she just let her body move for her.

She rushed out through the crowd, bolts, knives, and bullets flying out from her and taking out all the hunters around her like a violent storm. They tried to stop her, but she was far too skilled. Not a single wound was on her as she made her way to her target.

When she finally got close enough to see him more clearly, her eyes widened, and she shouted out a name instinctually.

Kai–

BANG!

And in that next moment, the world froze. Everyone stopped moving as blood began dripping down Maki's lips. She slowly looked down, only to see a bullet hole in her chest. When she realized she had been shot, blood rushed up her throat in a wet, ragged cough. She tried to keep it in by holding her hand to her mouth, but the crimson lifeblood still managed to creep out from her fingers as Maki fell to her knees before completely collapsing.

As she tried to take deep breaths, she looked back to the person she saw with a prayer in her heart. She called out his name again, grabbing his attention. He turned around and revealed his face, and Maki could only give a weak, defeated smile at what she saw.

This person was dressed up as Kaito, but when he turned around, it was revealed to be someone with a Monokuma face Maki couldn't see from the back.

It was a trick. The only way to get her to let her guard down.

Maki couldn't help but let out sad, bloody laughs as she felt her end creep ever nearer. That's when the Kaito imposter took out a single-shot shotgun and aimed it right at Maki. But right when he pulled the trigger, Monodam rushed into the scene and jumped in front of Maki, taking the bullet for her. The bullet hit him right in the head, blowing it to pieces as he fell lifelessly to the ground.

The Kaito imposter didn't even react to the action, though. He only emptied the gun and took out another round to load into it. Once that was done, he aimed the gun at Maki once again. Maki only closed her eyes as she saw the barrel of the gun move towards her. This was it. The end of the line. A bloody end to a bloody life. It wasn't the end she wanted, but there were moments that she did really enjoy. And so, she knew.

She was ready.

BANG!

And with that single shot, it was over. The entire front of Maki's exploded like a watermelon as her body twitched for a bit before finally going limp. All of the remaining hunters began to cheer as the money from Maki's bounty began raining from the sky. The Assassin was finally dead.

Rin watched the execution without a hint of emotion showing on his face. Hope? Despair? Truth? Cruelty? Dreams? Reality? Lies? Mercy? Guilt? None of those were at the forefront of his mind. There was only one thing he felt.

Good Riddance.