The Murderous Shadow Who Lurks Over Their Despair.
"Kyaaaaaah! Monokuma!?" Yamada manly screamed.
"What are you doing here!?" Ogami growled.
"Moi? Well, I admit I was planning in coming to crash down on your party a bit early, but then things got really spicy between you guys and Mr. Cult Freak over there and I couldn't help but wait and see how did that ended!" Monokuma stated.
…That cult naming is going to be a common thing, isn't it?
"…Mr. Cult Freak? Are you talking about Shigaraki?" Hina asked.
"Helloooo, Is there an echo here? Of course I'm talking about him! Do you see another weirdo who kills people because he believes some guy in the sky tells him to?"
Yep, it's gonna be a common thing.
"Hey! You sick bastard, that doesn't answer our question! What the hell are you doin' here!?"
"Huh? Joseph Mostert? Can't say I know him" Monokuma commented with a tilted head.
"That's not what I said!" Owada growled.
"Maybe if I ignore him, he'll just go away..." Monokuma said while turning his back on him.
…Well, I would admit that my ears would be grateful if things were that simple.
"Oi, oi, Don't ignore me! Asshole!" Unfortunately, they weren't.
"Okay, okay, let's get back to business. Your life here has already begun and a few days have gone by, and there have been no deaths, zero, nada! Now, under normal circumstances that would be boooring, and it is boring! But in this case, it's also disappointing! I know ya teenagers are known for being lazy…but this guy in particular is taking it to the limit!" Monokuma exclaimed while pointing a paw…at me.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Is that so?"
"Don't you just 'Is that so?' me, you bastard! Did you already forgot all the hype I gave you on the first day? Do you think I go around doing that for every guy I meet on the street!?"
I don't know, maybe he does? He seems that eccentric.
"Well, you know what!? I don't! That is a privilege people would kill to get! But you… nooo, I give it to you, and what do you decide to do with it? Throw it out of the window to spend all day flirting with miss hair for brains over there!"
Again with that crap, but…is he serious? Of course I'm not going to even begin to think about making a move until―Wait, what did he say I was doing?
"Hey! I will have you know that―F-Flirting!?" Enoshima exclaimed.
"F-Flirting? Hey…now that I think about it…those two are always together! Ah! C-Could it be th-that they truly…!" Hina exclaimed.
What?
"Wait, really!? He didn't seem like the type…but damn, he doesn't waste his time, huh?" Leon commented with a whistle.
"So you guys really were like that!" Maizono exclaimed.
Like that? What…What is she talking about?
"Oh, could it be!? A forbidden romance between a famous model blinded by the light of her popularity and an assassin willing to abandon the shadows of solitude his profession requires!? A most unexpected combo I would admit!" Yamada added.
Wait, what!? A Ro…ro…ro―what!?
"Tch…T-This so cliché, an assassin and a model are s-such a common trope…" Fukawa mumbled.
"A relationship!? Is it true!? Shigaraki! Enoshima! You should know that committing to something like that in this educational environment is an afront to the public morals!"
At the moral compass questioning the entire group turned to Enoshima.
And as for fashionista herself…
"…Romance…Shigaraki…relationship…me…romance…rela―" She keeped mumbling things like that for quite a while with her eyes wide and lost and I could swear there was smoke coming from her head.
Seeing that the fashionista was unable to give them a response, they turned to me to get more details of…of whatever it is they were thinking.
In my case…I refused to give them anything.
Why? It doesn't matter.
It's for moments like these that I am glad I can keep a straight face no matter what.
…Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about my heated-up cheeks and my eyes that refused to meet their stares.
"Upupupupu, do my eyes deceive me or are you embarrassed? Such a rare sight! Someone quickly look for a star make a wish!"
"…"
"…"
"…Erm, I believe that isn't possible at the moment…" Yamada commented.
"Oh right, well, what can you do? Either way, we are getting off-topic, the important thing right now is…I want a murder to happen and I want it now!"
That brought everyone out of their stupor and back to the grim reality of the situation while at the same time, making them remember what kind of person our captor truly is.
…And I would've been grateful to him for putting an end to the previous fiasco…If it wasn't his fault in the first place that it happened.
"Even if you say that…there's nothing you can say that'll make us start killing each other!" Naegi exclaimed.
Ah, that's a jinx if I heard of one.
"Wait, could it be―that's it! Ding ding ding! I got it! All the secret ingredients are here―right people, right place. So why hasn't anyone killed anyone yet?" Monokuma asked…rhetorically, of course.
Even so…why? Well, he's going to be disappointed if he truly thinks I'm going to attempt anything with that rule 6 as ambiguous as it is.
"That's what I couldn't understand. But just now I realized that there is one very important piece of the puzzle missing!"
"Wh-What are you talking―!" Before Naegi could finish that sentence, Monokuma interrupted him.
"If you wanna know, I'll tell ya! It's a motive! Upupupu! It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!"
…A motive?
"Motive? What the hell are ya talkin' about!?" Owada exclaimed.
The bear ignored Owada flawlessly "By the way! There's something I wanna show you guys!"
"Stop changing the goddamn subject!" Owada barked.
Geez, this guy and Taka would get along as partners in shouting, wouldn't they?
"I have a little video I'd like you all to see…oh, but don't worry. It's not some pervy 'adult' video or anything. Seriously, it's nothing like that!"
…Putting aside…his antics…
A video?
"It's a special video for each of you showing what's going on outside the school!"
…What's going on? That's a weird way of wording it…
"Outside the school…? What are you talking about?" Asked Naegi.
"Ohoho, Oh? Master's so impatient today, isn't he? Why don't you just watch it and find out? In this school, there's a specific place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video" Monokuma said while rubbing the back of his head.
Specific place? Hmm…that could only be the A/V room, it's the only room on this floor with the necessary equipment to see those videos.
And Kirigiri, in her own way, seemed eager for that.
"Good, then we can go watch the video right now…but before we do that, I'd like to know…Who are you? Why would you do something like this? What do you really want from us?"
The monochrome bear ignored the first two questions Kirigiri made and went directly to the last one "What do I want from you guys…? Well, if you really want to know…"
The grin on his left side stretched a little while his red eye began to glow with an unusual intensity.
But in contrast to that…
"…Despair. That's all"
The way he said that…it was so unexpectedly monotone when in comparison to all the eccentricity he has shown so far, it was so…lifeless, so…
Empty.
But just as fast, he abandoned that facet.
"If you want to know more than that, you'll have to figure it out for yourselves. Do whatever you need to uncover the mysteries this school hides. I won't try and stop you"
I slightly narrowed my eyes at that 'Again with the encouragement to actually find something…is he doing it as a taunt of sorts?'
"If I am honest, it's funny as heck watching you guys search so desperately for answers…ah, I guess that I want some form of entertainment from you, too" The bear said in barely holding giggles.
Yeah, it's a taunt…though I can't discard the possibility of there being more than what he lets on.
Either way…
In a sort of way, he actually answered one of the questions Kirigiri asked. Maybe…the chances are low, but I don't lose anything by asking him about the rule 6.
"…Monokuma, I would also like to ask something, it's about―"
"No"
…
"…"
"…No?"
"No"
"…You don't even know―"
"I don't care, I'm not in the mood to talk with you…humph!" Monokuma said while he crossed his arms and looked to the side.
Huh?
"…"
"…Why?"
"Ah! And you have the gall to ask! Just how much of a jerk can you be!?"
"…You haven't told me―"
"And I will not tell you anything! I had big expectations of you, but you have been a disappointment so far, so until you make it up for me, I'm not talking with you…humph!" That's the last thing he said before disappearing.
…
…
…
…What the hell?
"…Um, does anyone know what just happened?" Maizono asked.
"Well, this guy right here obviously did something to make the bear mad, that's never gonna be a bad thing" The biker commented.
"Yeah, I may be imagining things, but that creep acted no different to an upset girlfriend…" Leon added.
Again, what the hell?
"G-Girlfriend!?" Enoshima exclaimed nervously.
"Eh? I didn't know that Shigaraki―Eeeeeeek! I didn't said anything!" The fanfic creator yelped when he saw I was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
And before the group got more distracted…again, Kirigiri spoke.
"That is irrelevant, what is important right now is that we learned something very useful"
"Oh! That if we want to make Monokuma upset, we just have to make Shigaraki to ask him questions, is that it?" Hina asked.
…I don't know how feel about that, so I will just go with that being inconvenient in the chance that I attempt to question him to obtain important information…like I just tried to a moment ago.
"…No. I'm talking about him having zero intentions of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth, that's…interesting"
Interesting, sure, but that's the thing…why? I know he is confident in us not escaping this place, but that much confidence? Or…is there something inside this place he actually wants us to find?
"Perhaps, but what about the video he mentioned? I admit to be very curious to see what's on it" Ogami commented.
"Same here! Okay, so…!" Owada exclaimed.
Then, he proceeded to look around the room until he stopped on…
"Hey Naegi! Check this out for us, would ya?" The biker asked with a grin.
That caught the lucky student off-guard "Huh!? Why me!?"
"Cuz you're closest to the door! That's the rule, right?"
"…R-Rule?" Naegi nervously questioned.
"…Hey, hey…" The biker began, at first calmly, but then… "Hey hey hey hey hey hey! HEEEEEEEY! You see how passionately I'm begging you!? What's the big deal? Just check it out real quick!" Owada begged/threatened while crackling his knuckles.
"E-Eh? O-Okay…um, I guess I'll get going, then" Naegi said while getting out of his seat.
Once the ahoge boy said that, Owada calmed down immediately and began to grin from ear to ear "Awesome, thanks! I owe ya one!"
…This guy…
"…If Makoto's going, I'm going with him! It is not safe to walk alone with Monokuma around" Maizono declared.
"Yeah, sure thing. Then we're countin' on the both of ya! If anything happens, just yell and I'll come runnin'!" Owada said.
Now acting as the reliable guy, huh?
Not much after, both Naegi and Maizono left the cafeteria, and once they did…
"Geez, Owada, you didn't had to be so rude with Naegi" Hina commented with a pout.
"H-Huh? But I just asked the guy, there was nothing wrong with that, right?"
…I don't doubt he truly believes that.
"Dude, if that's you asking, I don't wanna know how ya do a threat…" Leon replied.
"Um, in any case, do you guys know where we will see the video he mentioned?" Fujisaki asked.
"…That would be the A/V room" I commented.
"E-Eh? The A/V room?" Fujisaki shyly asked.
"Mhm, that's the only place available with the equipment for it" I replied.
"That is true…Still, I wonder what kind of content will it include..." Ogami mused.
That's the question, isn't it? What could it be…?
…
…
…
…
…Video…
…Of the outside world…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…A motive…
…A motive to kill…
…Video…
…Outside world…
…
…
…
…
…A video of the outside world as a motive to kill…
…
…
…
…
…How?
…How do you motivate a bunch of trapped people to kill in an attempt to escape when you involve videos of the outside world? The answer to that is―
! ! ! ! ! !
…No.
No no.
No no no no no―
"Hmmm…that is truly a mystery as of now"
―It can't…
…It can't be…
…It can't be that…
"…Ah! Do you think they truly are dirty videos and he's just tricking us saying that they aren't?"
…There's…
…There's no way…
…There's no way he could do it…
"Dirty videos!? Could he really be talking about that? Ah, but I'm loyal to 2D so I have a 100% resistance buff to them!"
…But he already managed to catch me―No! This and that are completely different things…
There's just no way he could have managed to―
! ! !
Someone is looking intently at me; I could feel the stare.
More specifically, two stares...two people were looking intently at me.
It was…Enoshima and Kirigiri.
Kirigiri was…studying me, not in the suspicious way she's been usually doing, or at the very least, that wasn't the main way she was doing it.
As for Enoshima, she was giving me a worried look.
…
…
…My eyes…
…I freaking widened my eyes and they noticed it.
Dammit.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Sigh.
'…Get a hold of yourself Shizuka…'
I knew he was going to eventually make a move to force our hand and make someone fall to the temptation of attempting to become the blackened, I've known that for days…it just so happens the day has finally come.
…It just so happens that the day to put my skills to use has finally come.
Enoshima looked like she wanted to say something, but…
Someone entered the cafeteria.
It was Maizono.
"Guys! Naegi and I found a bunch of DVDs inside a box in the A/V room, and each one, well…has a label with the name of one of us"
…DVDs inside a box…
…A box…
… I knew that thing was a prelude to that bastard's move…
"DVDs…with our names?" Ogami mused aloud.
"That's…weird, it is, right?" Leon asked.
"H-Hey…maybe we should go already and check those videos then" Hina commented.
"…Right, I admit that the curiosity is killing me too…what do you guys say we depart to this A/V room?" Taka asked.
There were some nods of agreement and zero protests at this.
And with that, the decision was made.
Like pigs to the slaughter, we traveled to the A/V room.
The walk to the A/V room was deathly quiet.
Not even the most extrovert and loud members of the group made a sound. That serious was the matter for all of us.
And unfortunately, that left me alone with my thoughts.
…With the information I have so far, I can make a solid theory of what this is about…I can't think of any other way this could work as a motive strong enough to convince anyone to kill involving the elements Monokuma talked about.
From that, an incredibly important personal question arose.
Did. He. Really. Did. It?
Was he really capable of doing something to Ma―
"Shigaraki" Enoshima called me, bringing me out of my own thoughts
"…Yes?"
"Erm…um, are you okay?"
Am I okay?
…
…No, not really "Mhm"
"Oh…I…I see…"
"…"
"…"
"…Enoshima"
"Yeah?"
"…"
"…"
"…Are you okay?"
"Eh? Ah, um, yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Though I admit this video junk is getting me nervous, hehe" The fashionista commented while scratching a cheek.
"…I see"
I suppose tha is a normal reaction to have right now, or at the very least, that's the case if you are aren't aware of the implications Monokuma is suggesting.
It is true that I have no evidence to confirm or deny that this video is truly what I think it is…but…unfortunately, I just can't think of being anything else…
I turned to the fashionista to give her an analyzing look.
She's…strong, at the very least, she has a strong mental fortitude, the fact that I am the person she gets along with the most, ever since the beginning of all this, does nothing but prove such a thing.
…But I am also aware that sometimes, she gets caught off-guard and has those moments where she snaps.
…Would it be the same case when…when she sees whatever it is inside them?
…
…
"…Enoshima, whatever is inside those vide―"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
A scream was heard, it was not among the group, but it definitely was close. It was one full of so many emotions, but the strongest one among all of them, was…
Despair
"Naegi!" Maizono cried out before rushing towards the A/V room.
"Maizono! Running in the―!"
"Now's not the time for that bullshit!" Owada exclaimed before he too rushed towards the audio-visual room.
And immediately everyone followed him, running towards the origin of that scream.
Everyone so nervous and panicked to notice that I wasn't going at their pace anymore.
Instead, I waited until I was at a moderate distance behind all of them, and only then I proceeded to trail them at a steady pace.
I keep at it for a few moments, until I saw the group stop in front of the A/V room, with me still behind them.
And then I heard it.
"I-I have to get out! *Thud* I have to get out, right now! *Thud* I-I need to make sure everyone's safe! *Thud*" The panicked voice cried out.
Maizono didn't wasted any time to get inside, soon everyone followed.
Not me, though, instead, I waited close to the entrance.
Just outside of the room and using my sight instead of getting inside, I searched for the source of that rambling, it didn't took me too long, and neither to the rest of the group to find it.
In one of middle rows with the audio-visual equipment, was Naegi seated in one of the desks, mumbling the same words over and over while he slammed his fist on said desk repeatedly.
"Naegi…?" Maizono warily asked.
The lucky student flinched at her voice, but that also brough him, partially, out of his stupor. Slowly and nervously, he looked at every single classmate he could notice.
Of course, I made sure I was not among those.
Once the staring ended, he didn't said anything, but I could see that he was still trembling.
"N-Naegi? What's…What's going on?" Hina nervously asked.
He didn't replied to that question either, he just pointed with a shaky finger at the cardboard box that was on the left corner of the room.
"Is…Is that what Monokuma was talking about?" Leon asked in general, in a no less nervous way than the swimming pro.
"What could be on them…?" Taka added.
Everyone took that as a signal to approach the cardboard box and pick up their respective DVDs.
…
…
…I waited until all of them took their own disks and a seat.
Once I saw that everyone had their backs pointed at me, I finally entered the room with muffled steps and approached the box with narrowed eyes.
Inside of said box was…
An object.
A single object.
It was a DVD…and it had my name.
I picked it up and looked around the room.
Unlike yesterday, the A/V room had its lights turned off, most probably so everyone could see their videos without a problem and at full clarity '…How considerate…'
I could also notice that everyone else had already put their headphones on and were preparing to insert the DVDs.
…
…
…The lights were off, they were distracted by their own videos, and with the headphones in their heads, they weren't paying attention to any outside source of noise and save for Ogami, none them were a real threat to what I'm planning to do…
In a sort of twisted and joyless way, this was the equivalent of a kid in a candy store for someone like me…the perfect scenario to commit an assassination.
…Getting cocky is one of the worst mistakes an assassin could make, after all, people who becomes too confident of themselves get caught off-guard when something unexpected or out of their control happens…and that could only lead to one path when this is your career.
Death.
So when this scenario presented itself and my mind began to have thoughts of how easy they are making this to myself, I discarded them immediately. Not only because of the previously mentioned reason, but also because…
No, an assassination is not what I'm after, that is not why all these convenient circumstances are important for me right now.
What I need right now the most is…information, I need to see first what is Monokuma going to show them, after all, confronting something while being ignorant of it even when you have the chance to correct said problem, that is also the kind of thing you cannot afford yourself to allow, so this is an opportunity I cannot waste.
And while it is true that none of them are close to being aware of me thanks to the list of points previously mentioned, I was not going to leave this to chance.
No.
I took one step further than that.
I also erased my presence.
…Any fighter, no matter of which branch you are talking, has the obligation to develop the capacity to feel threats outside their sight, or even those they can't even hear.
Boxers, Spies, Thieves, Bodyguards, Martial Artists, Cops, Soldiers, other Assassins, among others. I've meet all of them, and those who had some self-respect and put the effort and dedication for it, develop countermeasures for the previously mentioned threats.
Of course…
…That didn't help them at all when I disposed of them.
As an assassin, the common 'obstacle' I face comes from all those people who are capable using this 'sixth sense' to feel the presence of their opponents.
And that's precisely why I trained to develop the antithesis of it, after all, how do you feel someone's presence when there isn't any presence to feel in the first place?
Of course, this doesn't mean I can turn invisible or some non-sense like that. With enough concentration and if they are looking specifically for me, then I will be found out, and the same would happen if I engage in physical contact or make too much noise.
Even so, being capable of doing this…it truly is one of the few, if not the only, thing that makes me feel something resembling pride for being capable of mastering.
How could it not? It took me 2 and a half years of constant practice, not even once losing focus of each step that worked as requirement, all the while putting all of my senses to test to the last limit.
Not only that, but an obligatory requirement to have a chance in mastering this skill is to have someone else as your 'sparring partner' of sorts during the entire process. That someone has to be highly skilled both in combat and in their capability to feel threats and presences, and well…there was only one person who meet those requirements that I knew of and that was also willing to help me.
…I only had Her.
But that is not important right now '…At…At least not in this context…', what matters now is to get to work and do what an assassin does best besides stealth and killing.
Intel Gathering.
…
…
…
…A mission.
…This is not different from any other mission.
This is my current mission.
The objective? Gather intelligence from the subjects around the room.
Conditions of success? Gather samples of at the very least, half of the group and avoid detection at all costs.
Time limit? Unknown, but a pair of minutes is a safe bet…which is why I must act as if I have even less than that.
Difficulty of this mission? I must think of it as the highest possible…as always.
Consequences of failure? As always, I must think of it as the highest penalty possible…Death.
With that 'self-motivation' done, I went into it.
0 seconds.
The first row consisted of Hina, Fujisaki, Celeste, Fukawa and Togami.
I'm aware of the time limit I self-imposed, so I approached their desks in such order at a quick pace, making sure to stay behind them and avoid contact as I looked at each of their monitors. 'A few seconds for each of them should be enough…'
I got closer and…
…Just looking at the first one was enough to make me grimace.
On said screen was a tan-skinned boy with brow short hair, with quite simple clothing, as it only consisted of a tank top, beige shorts and red sneakers.
Thanks to the plugged headphones I couldn't hear anything, but I could see that he seemed to be enthusiastically cheering, if all the jumping and exaggerated movement of his arms with the excited look on his face was anything to go by, towards whoever this video belongs to, which in this case it would be Hina.
So, yeah, I grimaced when watching this…but not because I suddenly developed a sense of empathy towards the swimmer, not at all, but because what I'm seeing right now only works as more evidence to confirm what I've been thinking this is all about.
…Deciding to not waste any more time, I moved onto the next person.
6.27 seconds.
The next video consisted of a couple. A fair-skinned man with brown-blonde hair, he seems to be wearing light-gray glasses, a long-sleeved, white striped button shirt, long dark-green pants and a pair of brown slip-ons.
Next to the man was a pale-skinned woman, with long brown-blonde hair too, but in a lighter tone. Her attire consisted of a white jacket with a tank top underneath of it, dark-grey pants and a pair of black mary janes.
All in all, they really resembled the programmer.
Same as the previous case, they seemed to be either cheering or congratulating the owner of this video, if the excited gestures of the woman and the more reserved ones of the man were anything to go by.
…Taking that as enough I information, I left onto the next target.
11.13 seconds
This one…it kind of had a divergence, from what I could see, there were some people in the recording but they didn't look to be the focus in this case.
No, the camera seemed to be completely focused on…a cat. A dark-grey, large and fat cat with a frilled collar around his neck.
…
…As for the people that could be barely noticeable, it seemed that they were only there to attend to the needs of said cat, it didn't go unnoticed by me how self-aware of his commodities he seemed to be, if that arrogant look on his face was anything to go by.
…Next.
16.48 seconds
The next video consisted of…a bug on a cage.
That was it.
…
…
…I'm not going to waste time on this, next.
20.18 seconds
This next one showed an office with a panoramic view over a city, with a desk in the middle of said room, and a person using it.
This person was a pale-skinned man in his mid-60s, both his hair and beard were completely white, with the hair combed backwards while his beard ran down from his temples all the way across his chin with an almost unnoticeable grey mustache.
You would be forgiven for believing he was addressing the owner of this video with nothing but contempt…but no, his butler attire and taking into consideration who is watching this 'Besides me…' tells me that is just his default expression.
His body language doesn't tell me much, but it is likely that he's a similar case to the first and second videos.
…I will admit that knowing that this guy out of everyone here, actually has someone he cares about is some interesting info…but it's irrelevant for now.
Right now, I have more important matters to take care of.
30.75 seconds
Maizono, Naegi, Owada, Taka and Leon were the people seated in the next row, but considering that I had to descend to see the previous five, this time I will have to travel back.
As I approached the baseball star desk, I could see that the video showed two people. A man on his early 40s, whose ginger hair was short and with his front pushed up and to the side, his attire consisted of a blue dress shirt, brown pants and black shoes. The only other trait worth mentioning is his serious, though not stern, expression.
Next to him was a teenager girl with shoulder length blonde hair held up by a black ribbon on the top right side of her head. Her clothing consisted of a brown-colored sailor jacket, a white long-sleeved shirt underneath said jacket, and a dark yellow skirt. Same as the adult, she looked like a serious person, though there was a smile on her face while she talked.
All in all, it seemed no different than the previous videos, with the teenager girl doing most of the talk while the adult gave some nods.
…Onto the next one…
37.98 seconds
The moral compass screen showed a man on his late 40s in what it looked like a police station. He had thick eyebrows, graying hair and red eyes. He seemed to be wearing a black trench coat and a white buttoned shirt with a tie underneath said coat. He also seems to wear black pants and brown shoes.
Same as the previous cases, more congratulations/cheering, though the rigid and serious manners the man showed, really seemed to resemble the owner of this recording.
Next.
44.79 seconds
Moving on to the gang leader screen, I saw what is by far the most different video I've seen so far. First and foremost, it was being recorded on the exterior and in movement, instead of the camera being set in one place, in this case it was obvious someone was recording with the device held in hand.
The video showed a group of bikers, all of them with the same logo on the back of their jackets, traveling on a highway. Beyond that, it only showed them riding on the road, there was no conversation, or at least there wasn't anything to prove otherwise.
The only other thing I could notice was that at the front was a short boy with spiky hair that contrasted quite significantly with the taller and bulkier teenagers that were riding around him.
Even so, as curious as this divergence is, I can't allow myself to keep watching when there are still some people left.
With that thought in mind, I approached the next classmate: Naegi.
51.36 seconds
The lucky student was still sitting in his chair, and though he still looked considerably perturbed, if that lost look he was giving the screen was any indication, it wasn't at the same erratic level he was just a few moments ago.
But that was irrelevant for now, what matters to me right now is the contents of his screen. Speaking of which, on said screen…there was only a message in bold orange letters, said message was: 'Look for the answer after graduation!'
Besides narrowing my eyes at that, I didn't waste any time to approach the last person in this row.
Maizono.
55.33 seconds
Similar to Owada, her video went out of the norm, as for her case, the recording consisted of her and her idol group, if all of them using the same dress but with slight modifications each was anything to by. Said group consisted on four other girls, performing on a stage with a large led screen behind them.
And that was it with this row…as for the next and last one…
It consisted of Enoshima, Yamada, Ogami, Hiro and Kirigiri.
…As tempting as it is to get some info on the mysterious girl, there was a problem and it was…Ogami.
As previously stated, I'm not leaving this to chance, even if I am confident in my presence erasure, she is the Ultimate Martial Artist, I can't afford the risk that the fact that I will have to stay for a few seconds in her range of vision could lead to the possibility of her detecting me. Hiro was a similar case, being just as close of her as Kirigiri is.
As for Ogami herself, it's not possible either, not only because of the chance of detecting me but also because her frame blocks the entire screen, so it is futile to try anything.
In Yamada's case, it was the same problem, his frame obstructs any view I could have of his monitor.
And lastly…Enoshima.
…
…
…
…Ten.
…Ten out of fifteen is good enough…
60.63 seconds
And it seems that the world itself agreed with me if what happened next was indication.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"WHAT!?"
"N-No!"
"W-W-What is this!?"
"It can't be!"
"Nonononono―!"
"This isn't real!"
All around the room I could hear all kinds of cries and screams, no doubt thanks to a transition in their videos that ended up showing them something impactful enough to react this way.
As for me…
I need to hurry up and do a fast-check on them again to see what changed.
Their growing panic will make them even more distracted but it's just matter of time before they abandon their seats.
Not wanting to lose any time, I rushed onto it.
64.02 seconds
I put my sight on overdrive so I don't miss anything as I looked at their screens while moving as fast as it was possible without being noticed in a space as enclosed as this one.
And thanks to that, I couldn't avoid grimacing again.
The recording of Maizono and her group changed to only her group…either unconscious or dead with the figure of Monokuma on the led screen, with the rest of the place completely destroyed.
64.91 seconds
Naegi's screen didn't changed at all.
65.57 seconds
The group of bikers riding on the road changed to all of them either unconscious or dead in the middle of a street with a bunch people wearing Monokuma's masks behind them.
66.15 seconds.
The man in the police station disappeared and, on its place, there was only the ruins of what it looked to be the once before police station.
66.59 seconds.
The adult and the teenager girl disappeared while their house looked as if it was the location for a battlefield.
67.23 seconds.
The butler, he was either dead or unconscious with more people wearing Monokuma's masks around him, with the place thorn to shreds.
67.77 seconds.
As for the bug, he was in a different location with a single Monokuma mask-wearing person holding its cage.
68.22 seconds
Same with the fat cat, he was on a different location, chained up to a wall.
68.94 seconds
The couple disappeared, with their house completely wrecked.
69.47 seconds
The tanned kid was no longer there, same case as before, the house he was in was now completely devastated.
70.12 seconds
Once I was done with checking their videos, I quickly but carefully took a seat on the desk behind the swimmer.
74.29 seconds
Just in case, I looked around to verify that no one noticed what I did, once I was satisfied, I didn't had to wait long for all of their videos to finish and for them to react to it on their own way.
"…What…the fuck?" Owada commented in a distraught tone of voice.
"A-A-A fabrication! This…This is nothing but a fabrication! I refuse to believe it's real!" Taka exclaimed.
"Mrrgh…Y-You must be right! This is the work of dark-illusion type magic! I-It…It can't be nothing else!" Yamada added.
"I c-can't! I can't take this anymore! Let me out of t-this place!" Fukawa cried out.
…The grimace hasn't left my face…
…It wasn't because I felt bad for any of them.
No.
The reason why, is that I saw enough of their videos to know that if I also have a DVD…that could only mean one thing…but…but even so, even at this moment, I couldn't help but ask…
Did. He. Really. Did. It?
"I see…So this is what he meant by motive. He wants to fuel our desire to leave so that we're more likely to start killing each other" Kirigiri mused aloud.
"It is a classic case of 'prisoner's dilemma', it seems" Celeste commented.
"…Huh?" Yamada intelligently asked.
Even so, the gambler was willing to provide an answer "It seems an explanation is in order…Image two nations that are on the brink of a war. But even under such circumstances, the both of them want peace, and seem willing to commit to each scale back their forces as a sign of their good faith, unfortunately, the chance's that one country may betray the other makes them fear lowering their guard. The result? Neither scales back their forces, and they both end up betraying each other. In more simple words, the fear of a possible treachery from each other becomes the biggest obstacle of stability"
Indeed, and their reactions just a moment ago showed how effective this motive was.
"T-That kinda sounds like us right now…" Fukawa warily mumbled "Everyone says they'll work together, but in our minds, we are afraid of someone betraying us…"
"Stop! Those awful thoughts in your head should be absolutely rejected! That would only work in the favor of our captor!" Taka exclaimed.
The baseball star seemed to have none of it "You can say that, but maybe you're thinking that once everyone drops their guard, you can just―!"
"W-What!?" The moral compass cried out.
"Don't you see!? This is what Monokuma, or whoever's behind this, wants. They want us to fight among each other!" Ogami exclaimed.
"…"
"…"
"…B-But the assass―!" Goddammit.
"Before you begin to accuse me of something for the hundred time in the day, ask yourself this: If I hadn't tried anything in the past few days, why would I try something now all of sudden?"
"A-Are you seriously asking!? The videos―!"
I'm not a fan of resorting to this, but I need to put this down before it begins in the first place, nobody is in their most rational state of mind for a prolonged discussion right now, and that could only lead to more problems for me…
"I am aware of the videos, and I think that all of us have some idea of what they are all about, but as pointed out in one of the previous accusations made at me…I am an orphan who has spent all his life training as an assassin under the strict eye of the equivalent of an eccentric private company of mercenaries disguised as a cult, do you really think that's an environment for me to develop any connection with someone?" I asked in general.
That made them gain looks both of realization and sadness…
As bothersome as it was to receive pity from them, it was something I was willing trade in exchange for them to both drop the suspicion on me making a move and to don't allow their minds to run wild with theories about me or my motive.
In his own way, the heir helped "…Mhmhm, I suppose I can concede that. I highly doubt there's someone out there waiting for you, even more than that, would I be wrong to guess that your video only consisted on the bear mocking your lonely existence?" The heir finished with a smug smile.
"…" I didn't say anything to that while I looked to the side with narrowed eyes as my lips thinned.
"Mhmhm your silence and expression aren't doing any favors in defending you" Togami commented with amusement.
…
…
…What a moron, but whatever, I will not look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Indeed, such a pathetic―"
"Ugh, can you drop it!? Not the moment for your useless rants, alright?...*sigh* Either way…maybe we should all just…talk about it? Maybe if we do that, it could help get everything out of our system?" Enoshima suggested.
Said suggestion gave most of the group a moment to gain pensive looks in silence, weighting whether or not should they go with Enoshima's idea.
Considering what I just did a few minutes ago, that was no longer my business, instead, I decided give a scrutinous look at each of them, gauging how these motives affected them while asking to myself…did someone here fell for it?
Looking around, I could see how everyone, no matter how much they tried hide it, got affected by their respective motives.
Taking Togami as an example, even if he acted as his usual self with his self-assured sense of superiority, such expression didn't reached his eyes or his body language in general, as much as he tried, he couldn't hide how tense he was.
Kirigiri, Celeste, Ogami…and Enoshima were similar cases. At a glance, you could think as if nothing was out of the ordinary with them, but in no different way to the heir, there was some tension in their expressions.
The rest of the class was a worse version of this, apart from being tense, they also looked on edge and unlike these past few days…they no longer had wariness of only me.
Everyone looked wary of everyone, throwing suspicious glances at each other 'It seems that I'm no longer their single beacon of fear…this happened sooner than what I anticipated…'
…In any case, I decided to look at my left and saw…
Ah.
"Hey, Maizono, what did…huh?" The lucky student trailed off as he saw the Idol, more specifically…
Her face.
"…" Maizono didn't said anything.
…There's no doubt about it…
"What was in your video, Maizono?" Naegi insisted.
…Out of all of them…
"What's y-your problem? Just hurry up and t-tell us!" The writer snapped.
Once Fukawa finished her statement, it brought the Idol out of her stupor, only for her dreading and perturbed expression to multiply exponentially, confirming one thing…
Sayaka Maizono, out of everyone here…she was the one affected the most by this motive.
"Maizono?" Naegi asked with concern while in a well-intended…but ignorant attempt to comfort her, put a hand on her shoulder…
And that was her last straw.
"GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!" The idol cried out angrily while slapping Naegi's hand.
Then, she looked at everyone in the room with the perturbed expression on her face still there while heavily breathing, she did that for only a few seconds before she decided to run away from the room.
"S-Sayaka!?" Hina exclaimed.
"Let her go" Togami said simply.
"I-I can't do that! I have to make sure she's okay! It's dangerous out there!" Was everything Naegi said before he too, ran off in search of the idol.
"A-Again with the romantic clichés, I hate those the m-most. I don't care what h-happens to her, personally…" The writer mumbled.
"Are you for real? Just how insensitive can you be?" Enoshima said with her brows furrowed.
"S-Shut up! Y-You are even a worse case! W-With the assassin orbiting around you l-like some loyal dog…heh, I-I bet a whore like you allowed him to sleep―"
"Haven't you accused enough people of things for today?" I asked with narrowed eyes and slightest edge on the tone of my voice…fighting the urge to scowl.
I have experience suppressing emotions, true…but right now, I'm suppressing so many of them to allow myself the patience to deal with one of the writer's moments.
Instead of saying anything, the writer took that as a signal to yelp and leave the room too.
"Nobody got left unscratched by this motive, it seems. In any case, it is not necessary for us to stick together and I have my own things that requires my attention. Goodbye" Celeste said with a smile before leaving the room.
Eventually everyone took the gambler's example and one by one, the room emptied until only leaving me…and two other people.
For what it felt like an eternity, silence reigned the room, with none of us saying absolutely nothing.
Things stayed the same for a few more moments until someone broke the silence.
"Hey" Said…Enoshima.
"…Hey" I replied.
"…"
"…"
"…Are you okay?" The fashionista asked in a concerned tone of voice.
Am I?
No, not at all "Mhm"
"…I see" It's obvious she didn't believe it.
"…"
"…"
"…Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Huh? Me? I…I suppose so, at the very least, this video stuff will not convince me to commit murder, if that's what you are worried about" Enoshima commented.
"…I see, that's good to know" …That's actually good to hear, if I am honest with myself…
"Yeah…"
"…"
"…I…I suppose you need some space too, huh? Well…um, I will see you later, maybe, alright?" She said in a subdue tone of voice.
"Alright" Was all I said.
And with that, Enoshima prepared to leave.
But just as she reached the entrance…
…As I saw her form ready to leave this room…
…I couldn't help it…
"Enoshima" I called her out.
"Yes?" She replied as she turned to face me.
…
"…During this nighttime, no matter what, no matter what reason you could believe to have, under no circumstances…do not leave your room, alright?" I said with the most serious tone of voice and expression I could muster.
"O-Oh, um…yes, you have my word I will not" Enoshima with nod and a small smile.
I nodded too…and forced myself to give her a smile of my own.
With that, the fashionista left the A/V room in a more energized way than the one she was about to leave with previously…leaving me alone with the DVD and…that other person.
The silence that filled the room once more, allowed me to do some light reflection on what has transpired here.
And the first thing I couldn't help reflect about is…the influence of our captor.
Not only he was capable of capturing an entire class of Ultimates, people who are considered celebrities around the globe, he also managed to compromise their families and friends out of their homes and workplaces, and as an extra touch, he also left said places in complete ruins.
Most notorious of all, it was Togami's video. As arrogant as he is, he isn't exaggerating when he claims that his company basically controls the world…but it seems that even that wasn't enough to stop our captor from going after said company if what I saw was any indication.
Not even the Salvation Society, using all of its influence, could be capable of doing something like this and even less this fast, considering that all of what I saw has happened in the spawn of four days, most probably, even less…
I just can't think of someone that powerful, and much less, capable of going under the radar with said level of influence while comitting such actions.
D.I.C.E? No, not only because they are a relatedly small organization, but also because they limit themselves to non-violent crimes and their focus is to work as information brokers.
The Victims Catharsis Committee? Neither, while it is true that they don't truly work with money as a prospective and they actually have experience with those 'Duel Noirs', which have some slight resemblance to this Killing Game, it is not same by a long shot, that, plus those people have been following a strict modus operandi for decades with so much strict vigor that it gets to the point of reaching true fanatism.
…That group? I don't think so, they are similar to the Holy Salvation Society 'only much more honest about what they do…', with their members trained to be the elite among the elite, but they also see money as their only reason to do things, which again, doesn't seem to be in our captor's interest.
In the end, no matter of who I thought of, nobody truly filled the gaps to coincide with everything I've seen so far from the one behind all of this.
…Then, there's the results of this motive.
When I warned Enoshima about not leaving the room tonight, I meant it.
It seems nobody here, not even Ogami, truly noticed the real meaning behind that few seconds where Maizono stared at everyone around the room.
All they saw was a scared girl which motive perturbed her more than the rest of the class, but that was about it…and they wouldn't be wrong, those were the kinds of emotions that Maizono showed: fear, misery, sorrow…despair, all of that was there.
But there was one more thing, said thing was…
Killing Intent.
I have no doubt in my mind that blood is going to be spilled tonight…and that would mean that the rule 6 is finally soon to be properly explained which will catch the blackened off-guard.
And when that happens…
When that happens…
…
…
…
…Enoshima…
…Maybe…
…Maybe I can help her first…
In the first day, I commented that an accomplice couldn't benefit from collaborating with the blackened and I am confident that most of them saw the logic behind it. If I help Enoshima commit her own murder…no…maybe Monokuma will count it as me finding out it was her? 'Unless they are discovered' is too ambiguous to know and It's still too early to think of anything when that thing and the rule six in general is still too unclear…
…
…
…Sigh, what the hell am I thinking now? It's true that she's my friend, but I am really thinking to such extremes? I am really thinking of prioritizing her escape over mine? That's…dammit, how can I think that when there's a chance that…that…She…
…Ugh, my head is such a mess right now and I haven't even watched the video.
…
…Right now, I'm just procrastinating, I really need to get this over with.
One last time, I put the DVD in front of me to stare at it, asking me again…Did. He. Really. Did. It?
…Although, before finally inserting the disk in the DVD player, I addressed one last issue…
"What do you want?" I asked to the other person in the room.
"…"
"…"
"…You think someone is going to try something tonight" stated…Kirigiri.
"Maybe, we can't know for sure, but the possibility is there, don't you think so?" As if, I know for sure it's gonna happen and I have a pretty solid idea of who could that person be.
"…I see" Was all the mysterious girl said before going silent again…while staring at me.
And only that.
She keeped at it for who knows how long, still as a statue, with the only change you could tell about her to known she wasn't in some kind of standing coma, was her blinking.
Same as with Fukawa, I was not in the mood to deal with her antics.
"…You obviously want something from me, so I will ask you again…what do you want?"
This time she actually answered me "I am curious about your motive video"
"…You don't say?" Straight to the point huh? Well, I was me who asked in the first place.
"…"
"Why?"
"I don't have to tell you" Kirigiri said while looking to the side.
Does she really think that's going to work here?
"You don't really believe that I will even consider it with an answer like that, do you?"
No, she really didn't, I suppose she thought it was worth giving it a shot "…I am interested in knowing what could use Monokuma on someone like you, not only because of your talent but also because of your origins"
I couldn't help narrowing my eyes.
"…I think Togami already made clear what was on it"
"That was just a guessing, a solid one, true, but a guess nonetheless and one that you neither denied or affirmed"
…Sharp as always, huh?
…
…
…Hmm…maybe I can use this.
"…Under normal circumstances, I would've flat out denied you, but…If you wait outside the A/V room and make sure no one gets inside…then maybe I would allow you to see it"
This time, Kirigiri was the one who couldn't avoid narrowing her eyes.
"Why would you want me to―You…you still haven't watched your video, have you?"
"…No, I haven't"
"If that's the case…how could you guess that the videos where related to people close to us in the first place? How―The dining hall" Kirigiri said with slightly widened eyes "…When people began to discuss about the videos, something somewhere in-between surprised you, I was wondering what could make you react that way, but…you knew since that moment what this was going to be about, didn't you?" Kirigiri asked with suspicion.
…Questions everything, pays an exceptional attention to details, and can make pretty accurate deductions out of them…
I still don't know what her talents is…but by now, I can count the possible options with one single hand.
"…Saying that I knew what this was all about it's an exaggeration, it just so happened that when Naegi talked about not being anything Monokuma could use to make us kill each other, he immediately began to talk about a motive which he followed up with these videos related to the outside world, with all of that together, I began to form a solid idea of what he was truly talking about" I explained.
"If you had that big of a suspicion, why didn't you said anything?"
If I reveal info, she suspects me, and if I don't, the same.
I just can't win when it comes to her, can I?
"…Because the group is still wary of me, if I said anything, they would've seen it as me trying to scare them or planning something, that, plus their curiosity for these videos would have made it impossible for them to not go see them, in other words, whether I said anything or not, it would have not made a difference"
The narrowing of her eyes didn't dissipated, but she put her gaze away from me to take a more pensive look.
Unfortunately for her, I don't have the time for it.
"In any case, I need you to answer me…will you do it or no?"
"…"
"…"
"…Maybe is not a guarantee that you will actually show me your video"
"No, it's not, but both you and me know that this is more than what you could get right now out of everyone in this place"
Her lips formed into a thin line at that statement. She knew I was telling the truth about that; everyone is so on edge right now to even consider making a deal like this one. Now it is a matter of whether or not she will accept it.
After a pair of minutes of not saying anything, she made her decision.
"Fine" Was all she said before leaving the A/V room and closing the door.
For my part, I took that as a signal to begin preparations.
While unfortunately I couldn't lock the door, I made sure that she didn't left it slightly open to get a spot to see behind doors.
Once I confirmed that it was closed, I moved to the desk said mysterious girl used so I could be as far as possible from said door, just in case.
And finally…
…I took a seat…
…Put the headphones on my head…
…Took the disk out of its container…
…
…
…And put said disk on the DVD player, all the while, asking to myself one last time.
Did.
He.
Really.
Did.
It?