Merciless Salvation.
*Ding doing bing bong*
"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!"
"Mnghh…" Makoto mumbled as he begrudgingly opened his eyes, partially waking up to the so irritable morning broadcast their 'headmaster' did on a daily basis.
He will never get used to it.
After finally feeling the will to abandon the comfort of the bed, he sat up and half awake, looked around the room. When his eyes landed on the bin, he wondered for a second if it has always been pink, and it was at that moment when yesterday's events finally registered him.
Monokuma's motive.
His promise with Maizono.
…And the switching of rooms with said Idol.
He became self-conscious and his cheeks heated up at the fact that he slept in a girl's room for a moment, but just as fast he chided himself. He didn't agreed to this out of some malicious motive, it was to reassure Maizono and to give her any form of comfort he could offer, something she really needed thanks to those terrible videos.
Just thinking about it was sending him shivers.
Besides those two, everyone showed how affected they were, some worse than others, by those despairful images their despicable 'headmaster' presented to them yesterday. His home turned to ruins, and…and his father, her mother and even his sister. While the video wasn't graphic about it, there was a chance that his family was possibly―
No!
Those videos were fake! They had to be! There's no way they could truly be real. It was just a cruel attempt of his captor to make him and his classmates suffer and fall into despair. That was just his demented way of doing things, he had to remind himself of that.
...Speaking of remembering things.
"We promised to eat breakfast together after each morning announcement, right? I should hurry up then…" The lucky student muttered to himself.
Not wanting to hear an earful out of the moral compass, Makoto got out of the bed and prepared to leave the Idol's room and head to the dining hall.
As soon as he put a foot inside the dining hall, he caught sight of a few people already gathered inside.
"Greetings, Naegi! It seems I was the first one to arrive this morning, what a peculiar turn of events! Hahaha!" Taka exclaimed with his usual vigor.
"Ehehe…good morning" The programmer commented with a smile that made Makoto feel like his existence was being purified by just looking at it.
Fujisaki really is a force to reckon with in her own way…
"Morning', Naegi!" Hina greeted.
"Is good to see you early too…" Ogami added.
Looking around, he could say without a shadow of doubt that everyone here were the model high schoolers kind, arriving just in time or even earlier than that in some cases.
Although he couldn't help feeling the slightest pang of worry travel his body when he noticed she wasn't here…Maizono. She seemed to fit into the model student category, so it was strange to not seeing her here too.
He mentally shook his head at those thoughts, what happened yesterday was a horrible experience and he saw first-hand how disturbed Maizono became at those footages, it is reasonable to believe she will arrive a bit later thanks to that.
The lucky student opted for taking a seat with the rest of his classmates and wait as his next course of action. After waiting for a few minutes, the next batch of students, the kind he would consider of the tardier sort and fell into the more relaxed type of people, as most high schoolers are, showed up.
Said people included:
Yamada.
"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. I had a, uh, morning duty that took more time than what intended to" …The lucky student doesn't need more details about that.
Owada.
"Yo" The biker said with a wave.
Enoshima.
"Sorry! Sorry! I had to battle for my life against my make-up this morning!" The fashionista cheerfully exclaimed.
And Shigaraki.
…
…W-Well, Makoto wouldn't really consider him to fall into either the 'relaxed' or 'most high schoolers' type, but for some reason, punctuality doesn't seem to be a concern for the golden-eyed boy…more so because he was still yet to show up…which is a bit strange, he would've guessed that Assassins where to take bigger importance into that area.
And as soon as he thought of that word, his eyes widened slightly.
Assassin…
…It's not like he forgot that was his talent '…Like he did a few days ago', but for some reason, the implications of that always seem to elude him unless he put his focus into them. It's just so surreal to look at Shigaraki and believe he is someone who has experience k-…kill…killing people and doing it as a profession no less…
Makoto remembers during the first day, before Monokuma made that announcement, his opinion of Shigaraki was that he was just a serious and reserved person, a complete opposite of most of his classmates, true, but nothing out of the ordinary.
And up to this day, considering what he has seen so far, that side of him holds true, seeing he's still as serious as ever and most of the time it seems that he only opens his mouth to spell facts '…Not that Shigaraki could be blamed for that, he is sure that 80% of the time Makoto has seen him talk is to defend himself of a new accusation someone makes against him…'
Then, those other truths about their resident Assassin began to appear, like him being part of a cult who isn't actually a cult that recruits kids of all people! Training them until they turned into professional killers, that's just…just…ugh, horrible doesn't even begins to describe how he feels about that.
And if that wasn't enough, what Togami said…about this 'The Raven' identity and the implications in relation to Shigaraki, it momentarily planted seeds of doubt, because it is true that it has been his and the rest of the class self-made conclusion that Shigaraki only targets wrong-doers, not that it made the act of killing any better, but it painted the golden-eyed boy in a better light than the other alternative, which was something Makoto doesn't think would like to hear the answer of if someone were to ask him about it.
Because what if Shigaraki is actually―
Makoto mentally shook his head once again, those suspicions against his classmates were just what their captor wants. The lucky student had to remind himself that since the first day, Shigaraki has been looking out for the group. He hid his talent during the introductions to don't cause panic that would've possibly made them targets of the guns at the entrance hall, he saved Owada's life by shoving him aside and throwing the Monokuma that was about to explode out of danger, and no matter how much people doubt him, Shigaraki has always been cooperative without holding it against anyone…if anything, the only times he seems to have a negative reaction is when people insult someone else…well, that only applies when it comes to Enoshima, but! That just proves he cares about others, right?
…Enoshima…
In its own way, it amazes him…at first glance, out of everyone here, Enoshima and Shigaraki becoming friends was something he never saw coming, it's something just as if not much crazier than Taka and Owada suddenly becoming best friends 'He just can't picture something like that being close to happening anytime soon…'
But it happened, as not so different to Ogami and Hina, the time they spend in company of someone its only between themselves most of the time as far as he knows.
…
…Even if he doesn't like to agree with Monokuma, the bear truly was onto something about them yesterday. Makoto doesn't considers himself someone who is into gossip, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was something more between those two, mainly because of how they reacted when questioned about it.
Speaking of which.
"Enoshima" Ogami suddenly called the fashionista.
Which in turn made the pigtailed blonde to address the martial artist with a tilted head "Hm? What is it?"
The martial artist took her time to reply, as if thinking how to best express what she wanted to say. A few moments later, she finally spoke "…Forgive if I am prying too much into this, but it is something that has been in my mind for some time, what I want to ask is…what is your relationship with Shigaraki?"
…Wow, Ogami really doesn't holds her punches in any sense of the word, does she?
Makoto saw how the people present turned to the fashionista with some curious glances, as yesterday's lack of a proper response left them wanting for an answer. And as for the fashionista herself, she didn't reacted as strongly as yesterday.
"R-Relationship!? What…What are ya talkin' about, girl? Me and Shigaraki…we are nothing like that!" …At least this time she managed to give a coherent response.
"Apologies, it was not my intention to making such bold assumptions, my question was more in regards to…" Once again, the martial artist paused for a bit, before finding her words once again "…While his conduct in presence of all us has been far more exceptional than what I expected of him, when it's just you two…I can't help the shadow of doubt that gnaws at my mind, Enoshima…he hasn't threatened or hurt you in any kind or form, has he?"
…Oh, so that was what she meant? It…It can't be helped he supposes…at least partially. It's not like he believes Shigaraki has done any of that, of course not, Enoshima is probably the last person the golden-eyed boy would even think of hurting, but some people are still wary of him, so it's a normal reaction when that someone holds the title of the Ultimate Assassin.
Enoshima for her part, relaxed considerably at that question "O-Oh, you mean that…*sigh* Geez girl, you shoulda begin from there instead teasing me like that hehe, anyways…honestly, ya have nothin' to worry about, he hasn't done any of that stuff, and if he were that kinda guy I wouldn't be hanging with him even if he insisted, I have my ways of dealing with most guys who don't take no for an answer, ya know?" The fashionista finished with a grin and a peace sign gesture.
The lucky student wondered for a moment if Shigaraki entered in the 'most guys' category, but he decided to not think too hard about it, the important thing is that Enoshima herself can vouch for him.
"Are ya sure, Junko? He hasn't tried any creepy stuff, like…ah! Trying to recruit you into his cult!?" Hina worriedly asked.
Makoto could've sworn he saw Enoshima's left eye twitch for a moment, but it could've been his imagination…
"…No, he hasn't tried anything 'creepy', much less getting me into a cult… did ya guys forgot that part was a hoax and he doesn't believe in any of that junk?" …Or it wasn't, if her lack of her usual upbeat tone was anything to go by as she replied to Hina.
A look of realization appeared on said swimmer "Ah, that's true, we talked about that yesterday, didn't we? Hehe, I actually didn't remembered that" Hina said as she awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
The fashionista just deadpanned at that "Regardless, as I said, there's nothing weird goin' on between Shigaraki and me, we just do normal things, like talking and stuff…"
Actually…
"…That's right, I remember Shigaraki telling me something similar" Makoto commented.
That seemed to caught Enoshima's attention.
"Eh? He did? Really?" If she wanted to hide the expectation in her voice, she terribly failed at it.
"Y-Yeah, something about him giving his opinions about different topics you brought up"
Owada gained a confused look at that statement "Whut? But if the chick is a fashionista…does that mean you guys talk about make-up and dresses, and he actually has opinions about that shit? What the hell…"
Eh? Now that he mentions it…if Shigaraki focuses on following along with what Enoshima talks, could it really be that he's into―?
Before his train of thought went completely that way, Enoshima interfered "What? 'Course we don't talk of those things, it would be weird if I talked with him about any of that"
"Uh, then what do you guys talk about?" Hina asked.
"H-Huh? Ah, well, you know, stuff…about this…and that, whatever we like bringing up at the moment, ya know?" Enoshima replied with a smile as she brought a hand to one of her hairclips.
Nobody in the room seemed to understand any of that…
…Save for Ogami, it seems "I see, in any case, it seems you have a better understanding of Shigaraki than any of us, so if you say that his company has not represented any danger to you, then I can lift a weight off my shoulders knowing that he reciprocates the friendship you have offered him" The martial artist finished with a smile.
"Yep, he's a total chill guy to hang out! Although…hmm, it's weird…" Enoshima muttered mostly to herself while looking around the room.
"Hm? Is something the matter miss Enoshima?" Yamada asked.
That seemed to brought her out of her stupor "Eh? A-Ah, it's nothing! I was just thinking out loud, haha…"
Besides looking at her weirdly, the rest of the group didn't pushed the matter.
…But…as for Makoto himself…
Maybe he's reading too much into it, but the way she looked around the room, he might have an idea of what was that about…because he's thinking of something similar.
Both Shigaraki…and Maizono, they still haven't come up.
Some minutes later, the last type of students appeared, the kind that keeps everyone waiting forever.
Kirigiri.
"…It seems I'm late"
Celeste.
"Good morning, everyone" The gambler said with a smile.
Fukawa.
"Wh-What are you all looking at!? Is it a s-sin to be l-late?"
Hiro.
"I didn't oversleep, just so you guys know. Nope, I got lost! It must be the Illuminati's fault, I'm sure of it"
Leon.
"Mornin' guys, sorry got so late, kinda overslept…*sigh* goddammit…" The baseball star muttered as he took a seat.
Fujisaki looked at Leon with a worried look "…Um, are you okay?"
"Hm? Well, more or less, it's just that my neck is killing me, as if a cannonball hit it. Though I guess it was my fault, yesterday I hit the bed like a brick, it got to the point that I…you know what? It doesn't matter, just hope this shit doesn't last all day" Leon commented with a frown as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Regardless of that comment, everyone finally arrived…
…Or that's what Makoto would've liked to say.
It seems Taka noticed it too, as after doing a head check he got out of the chair with a worried look on his face "Wait a moment, we are still missing some people, aren't we?"
"Hmm, that seems to be the case, Maizono, Togami…and Shigaraki are not present yet" Celeste commented.
The emphasis on that last name didn't go unnoticed by nobody, the dead silence and growing dread that followed the Gambler's statement being proof of that.
"…S-Shigaraki is missing?" Enoshima nervously commented.
"Not only him…but Togami and Maizono too" Ogami added with a frown.
"I don't know about Togami, but Maizono seemed like the punctual type…as for Shigaraki, this is…" Kirigiri didn't finished that sentence, but the lucky student could see how a frown began to form on her face.
As Makoto himself…
…Maizono…she's fine, right? She's…She's gotta be! There's no way something happened to her, as long as she stayed inside his room, nothing should've happened to her, and even less because they promised each to not allow anyone in last night.
The lucky student keeped repeating and repeating the same thing in his head as the dread in his stomach grew even bigger as each second passed. Finally, it got to the point that he was about to get out of his chair to search for the Idol personally, when…
…Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall swung open, revealing…
"…What's going on? Did something happen?" Togami asked in an inquiring tone.
"Hey man! Have you seen Maizono?" Owada asked.
"A-And Shigaraki? D-Did…Did you saw him on your way here?" Enoshima questioned in a shaky tone.
At those questions the heir looked to the side "…Actually―"
"Sorry I'm late guys!" A new voice exclaimed as it entered the cafeteria.
And when Makoto heard that voice…
…It was like music to his ears.
He couldn't help but feel as if his soul came back from whatever horrible place it went, and the dread in his stomach dissipated while a grin formed in his face as he greeted the owner of said voice.
"Maizono!"
Said Idol turned to face him and when he saw her face, a slight frown appeared on his own face. Her eyes, the area under them, they were slightly pink and it was for just a moment, but he saw how her face turned into something resembling…guilt? Though just as fast, it turned into that mysterious smile he couldn't help but admire every time she does it.
"Naegi! Good morning!" The Idol greeted back.
Before he could say anything, Taka interfered "Maizono! What is the meaning behind this tardiness!? While it is true that there is not an exactly appointed hour for these meetings besides doing them after the morning announcement, you should know that this is post-breakfast time already, it could ruin our eating habits! I demand an explanation!"
"You can't be fuckin' serious…the girl shows up fine and this is the shit your worried about!?" Owada growled.
The idol interrupted any possible discussion that could've led to "No, no, you don't have to get angry Owada, Ishimaru is right…I have to explain myself"
"Correct, I am all ears!" Taka stated with a nod.
"Yes…uh, well, you see, thanks to what happened yesterday, I…I couldn't really gain any sleep most of the night, and when I finally did, it was late enough that I ended up missing the morning announcement…that's…that's what happened" The idol said, though something about that last part, it sounded strange to the lucky student…
…But he dismissed it, He understands how much yesterday's events affected her, it couldn't be faulted if some of it still resided in her, that's just not something that disappears in a single day. Just like yesterday, he has to be there for her.
"Hmm, I see, while it is not my style, I believe that when taken what happened yesterday as a factor, you can go free with just a warning…but just this time! Understood!?" Taka exclaimed.
"Yes, understood!" Maizono replied with a salute, following along with the moral compass antics.
Such an act, made any remaining tension of the group to disappear.
"It seems nothing bad happened, I'm glad! Hehehe" Fujisaki commented with a smile.
"No kidding girl, for a moment I thought, that…y'know?" Leon added.
Taka looked at the baseball star with a stern expression "Perish the thought! With everyone already here, we can conclude that―"
"What the hell!? Are ya guys stupid or what!?" A voice angrily exclaimed.
Such a sudden outburst made everyone turn to its origin.
"…Huh? Junko, what's wrong?" Hina asked.
It seemed that was the wrong thing to ask as Makoto saw the fashionista send a glare at the swimmer when she said that "What's wrong!? Do you even have to ask that!? I know ya guys probably don't give a crap about him…but did everyone really forgot about Shigaraki!?"
Maizono immediately turned to Enoshima when she heard that "Wait, he's not here!?" she exclaimed wide-eyed and with a shocked tone of voice, while nervously looking around the room.
Any relaxed atmosphere that existed a few moments ago died immediately as Maizono made that question.
With growing dread '…And guilt at actually forgetting about him for a moment', Makoto followed Maizono's example, trying to find the golden-eyed boy among their classmates. He wasn't the only one, everyone else looked around their seats in search of him.
At the lack of results the mood in the room changed…and if the more and more nervous and panicked expression of Enoshima as she looked in all directions was any indication, it was not in a good way.
"H-He really isn't here yet…" Fujisaki said in a worried tone.
"What the fuck? Then where's that bastard?" Owada growled.
"It really is a peculiar case, everyone with the exception of him is here, so we can discard the possibility of him hiding from us, this is indeed strange…" Celeste commented.
Before anyone could react to that statement, Togami added his own piece.
"…If he isn't here after this much time has passed, and the rest of us are here, the only other possibility I could think of is that he's already d―"
*THUD*
Enoshima's chair was thrown away, as with a booming speed that nobody would've expected to belong to her, she fled out of the room.
"Such speed!" Ogami exclaimed with a surprised tone of voice.
"Holy crap! Are all fashionistas that athletic?" Leon asked.
"…Well, she works as a model, right? That means she has to keep a figure…maybe as the Ultimate Fashionista her standards are more rigorous, although…" Maizono shook her head "…Never mind, more importantly, about Shigaraki…Where could he be? It's not normal for him to be this late, right?"
Togami took that as an opportunity to speak again "Before the model interrupted me, what I was saying is that the only possibility is that…the Assassin is dead, or more specifically, someone murdered him. I wouldn't be surprised if she went to find him…or what was him"
…
…
…W-What…What did he say?
That…that S-Shigaraki…is dead? Not only that, but…but…
…But that it also was a…a…a m-murder, someone murdered one of their classmates…is that really what he was suggesting?
Makoto repeated all of that in his mind…but the concept of it just couldn't reach him.
He…he just couldn't understand what Togami was saying…
And it seems he wasn't the only one.
"M-M-Murdered…?" Fujisaki mumbled on the verge of tears.
"…What…What…What the heck are you saying!?" Taka exclaimed.
The heir seemed unfazed at the moral compass questioning "I'm only stating the obvious. Discarding all other options, his demise is the only logical conclusion"
"Now, now, let's not jump the gun guys, maybe the dude is just a similar case to Maizono-chi over here and just overslept" Hiro commented.
"That's…" It seemed that Maizono was going to say something else, but decided against it at the last second.
Makoto quirked an eyebrow at that, but decided to not bring it. Maybe it wasn't important, at least not when one of his classmates is missing…
"Y-Yeah that is not impossible…right?" Hina asked in general.
Unfortunately for her, Togami didn't buy it "Hmph, the chances of that are close to zero. In case you people forgot, he isn't your run for the mill Assassin, he is a professional killer trained under the most proficient experts that someone of his kind could find. I don't doubt that he could live all his life with just three or four hours a day of sleep and last days with none. As I said, him oversleeping as a possibility should be considered an impossibility"
"…But even if we discard that, you said it yourself, didn't ya? That guy was-erm, is the freaking Ultimate Assassin, who the heck would want to mess with someone like that, or more precisely, who could?" Leon asked.
At that, the heir took a more thoughtful look "…Hmm, I admit that it is an intriguing piece of the puzzle to solve. It could've been simple overconfidence from his part which made him drop his guard, or maybe it was―"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH"
A cry was suddenly was heard, and it came from…outside the room.
"What was that!?" Ogami asked.
"Hmm, it sounded feminine…by order of elimination that could only be Enoshima, and it seemed to come from the dorms area" Celeste supplied.
As soon as the gambler finished that conclusion, a voice that hasn't been heard in quite a while suddenly spoke.
"Let's go" Kirigiri said, and without waiting for anyone, she got out of her chair and moved towards the exit of the dining hall.
"B-But―" Yamada tried to protest but the silver haired girl interrupted him.
"We don't know why Enoshima would give such a scream…but the chances of her being in danger is there, don't you think?"
Ah!
"T-That's right guys, we have to hurry up! Maybe she got attacked by Monokuma!" Makoto exclaimed.
That seemed to brought everyone out of their stupor.
"Shit! That's true, we don't know what that fucker is capable of!" The biker declared with wide eyes.
"Putting aside the inappropriate language…Owada is correct! I declare this meeting suspended until we finish our new assignment, which is to find Enoshima! Everyone, let's depart at once!" Taka declared.
As soon as those words left the moral compass mouth, Makoto and his classmates left the dining hall in search of the fashionista.
Fortunately, it seemed that Celeste's assertion was correct and as soon as they entered the dorm area, the entire class caught sight of Enoshima, more importantly…She was alive!
…Although Makoto's relief was short lived as she saw the state of the fashionista.
She was standing…next to Shigaraki's door, her face covered with her two hands and she was trembling…
…That…that wasn't a good sign.
It seemed that Taka didn't caught the memo though "Enoshima! I'm glad you're fine!"
"…" Enoshima didn't replied to that.
"…Enoshima?" Taka tried again.
"…" And it was the same result.
Makoto saw that he was going to try again, but this time someone else beat him to the punch.
"Enoshima, have you found Shigaraki?" Kirigiri asked.
"Eep!" At that, Enoshima squeaked.
…That…what does that mean?
"Is that a yes? Did you find him?" Kirigiri pressed.
After a few moments, the fashionista finally responded, still with her hands on her face "…F-Find him…? Y-Yeah…I-I found him…him…and…and also that…that…Eep!" And she squeaked again.
Huh? That? What does she mean?
More importantly…considering that Enoshima is just besides Shigaraki's room…
"…Um, Enoshima, by any chance, did you find him in his room?" Makoto carefully asked.
The fashionista weakly nodded.
And that made his stomach grow with dread. Not only him but he could see how everyone's eyes widened while some of their faces blanched at that revelation. The lucky student just couldn't believe...that…that Shigaraki, who was perfectly fine just yesterday, turned out to be…be…he just can't be…
It seemed that Kirigiri was a similar case, or it looked that way to him, as she prepared to get in the room to see the truth for herself.
Or at least that was the plan…until Enoshima blocked the entrance to Shigaraki's room.
Kirigiri turned to the fashionista with a quirked eyebrow "…What?"
"…Y-You can't!" Enoshima cried out.
"Why not?" The silver haired girl argued back.
"T-That's…T-That's…b-because…h-he…he…he…S-Shigaraki…he―"
"We don't have all day! Just spill it out!" Togami demanded.
And at that snap, Enoshima moved her hands out of her face, revealing the blush on her cheeks as she replied back "You can't get inside! Because, S-Shigaraki…he…he…he's naked! Eeep!" And just as fast she covered her face once again.
What…?
…
…
…
…
…Shigaraki, he…did he really ended up that way…naked? That's…That's an even worse case than he imagined…
And his classmates seemed to be in a similar train of thought.
"D-Did he really…in…in such a way…?" Hina mumbled with a hand on her mouth.
"…Committing a crime of that kind while stripping him of his clothes…how barbaric!" Ogami growled.
"…*sob*N-No…i-it…*sob*…can't be! It can't be real…" Fujisaki said with a few tears already on her cheeks.
"Hmph, it seems I overestimated him if he really ended in such pathetic way" Togami added with disdain.
Owada angrily turned to the Heir "Hey son of a bitch! Shut yer mouth unless you want me to make ya! I…I never liked the guy, but…but for some bastard to kill him and leaving him like that, that's just low, way too low, whoever fucker did this, I will―!"
"Wait, what did you say?" Enoshima removed her hands from her face as she turned to the biker in a calmer tone and with a quirked eyebrow.
That sudden change in behavior caught the biker off-guard "H-Huh? I…I said that whoever fucker did this―"
"No, not that! You…you said that someone killed him, didn't you? Why did you said that?" Enoshima asked with her brows furrowed.
Now that comment caught everyone off-guard "…Eh? Yeah, I did…but why does that matter?"
Enoshima then looked at Owada as if he was saying something stupid "Why else? Because that's wrong"
…Eh?
"Um, miss Enoshima…I think I speak for the whole group for what I'm going to ask next…Didn't you just said a moment ago that you found his body?"
Enoshima glared at the fanfic creator while she snapped "What!? What the hell are you talking about!? I never said that! Don't put words in my mouth!"
Kirigiri ignored the "Uwaaah, don't kill me please!" from Yamada as she addressed Enoshima "…Then what do you mean when you said that Shigaraki is…when you said that you found him having no clothes?"
"Eeep!" At that, Enoshima returned to the state everyone found her at the beginning. Although Makoto managed to notice how her face heated up at full force before she covered her face once again.
…More importantly, does…does that mean that he's alive!? That's what Enoshima seemed to suggest right?
Makoto was about to sigh of relief…when another fact about this became present in his mind.
That she found Shigaraki alive…but naked.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…Wait, what!?
"…Somebody kill me…" For the first time in my entire life, I wanted to die…of embarrassment.
The reason why?
She saw me.
Out of everyone in this place…Enoshima of all people…
…She…She…She…She saw me―
Ugh, goddammit!
And to make things worse, it was actually my fault.
A few minutes ago…
The sound of water hitting the ground could be heard around the room as I took care of every part of my body at full speed to the point that if it weren't for the water, I don't doubt that smoke would've come out of it.
Why I am acting in such a hurry? Well, the answer is…because I AM in a hurry. How could I not be? I am late…late to that breakfast meeting we were supposed to attend on a daily basis.
Of course, I could've attended a few minutes earlier to that thing if it weren't for an important fact, and is that I still refuse to abandon the luxury of morning showers. I know I am being irrational about this…but I just couldn't help it, at least not this time, not only because it is something I desire to do, but because it is something I actually need for today…I really needed something to fresh myself up and a cold bath in the morning is the best solution at hand.
…Sigh.
No matter how I look at this, in more ways than one, I know this stunt of mine is going to bite me in the back. After all, the reason I need to freshen up in the first place is because―
*SLAM*
! ! !
Any other internal musing I could have, was interrupted by that sound, and I couldn't avoid narrowing my eyes at it.
That was the sound of a door being abruptly opened, and considering that my door to the bathroom in front of me is closed…
…An intruder…
…But who? Could it be Monokuma? I would make the most sense, considering That…but if it's someone else? No, that should not be possible, the door is lock―
…
…
…
…
…No…it isn't…the door it's not locked.
Shit! I had it that bad that I made such a stupid mistake!? How could I forget about that? Goddammit, and all because I couldn't avoid acting like a brat and doing―
Stop.
I…I can reprimand myself later, right now I have to focus on the intruder part. Fortunately, I was not fool enough to leave my clothes outside the room, they are here in the hanger with the towel.
I don't know how long before whoever this person is gets inside, so I will prioritize on just picking up my daggers as I can't allow myself to get caught in the middle of putting some clothes.
After turning off the shower so I could hear the footsteps, I quickly approached to the hanger, used the towel to dry up my hands and pulled out my weapons out of the jacket. Then I proceeded to stick to the wall besides the door…and waited.
*thud* *thud* *thud*
I could hear the muffled sound of footsteps slowly hitting the floor, closer and closer. And as they did, I readied a dagger. I was not going to kill whoever got inside, as doing so would practically be committing suicide in my current circumstances, but I know of a few places I can hit someone for incapacitation purposes.
Regardless, I also prepared myself when I saw the bathroom door slowly opening. And just when I saw the very first millimeters of a person getting inside, I was about to launch my attack―
"S-Shigaraki…?"
―Only to stop myself in the middle of it when I heard the shacky voice of Enoshima.
…
…
…W-What…?
…W-What…What…What is she doing here!?
While my mind was becoming a turmoil of emotions, Enoshima got inside the bathroom and as soon as she looked to her left and caught sight of me, for some strange reason her worried face turned to one of joy, as if seeing the greatest thing in the world.
"Shigaraki! Y-You…You're alive!"
And then proceeded to hug me.
"E-Enoshima!? W-Wha…What are you doing!?"
She seemed to have none of it "Shut up! Do you have any idea of how worried I was when you didn't showed up at the meeting!? Then that jerk of Togami had to open his mouth about how you…you most probably being…" She trailed off, but the implications of it were clear enough.
I pursed my lips at that while my panic waned. I was not that worried about the getting late part because I thought that they wouldn't mind my lack of presence that much 'I'm kind of used to that…', if anything, that would've probably made them relax more…
…But of course, I had to forget about taking Enoshima as a factor, didn't I?
With a more controlled voice I addressed Enoshima "…I…I see…um, I'm sorry for worrying you…it's just so happened that because of, well, for some reason I woke up later than usual…but I'm fine, so, erm…you have nothing to worry about"
As I said that, I tried to wriggle out of her hold…
…Key word: Tried.
No matter how much I tried to struggle, I just couldn't get her off me, and I don't want to apply more force than what I'm using right now because I risk to the chance of actually hurting her '…I knew that she was far from an ordinary girl, but…just how much strength does she have!?'
"…*Sigh* Seriously, you can't just tell me to not worry about it like nothing happened, you know? I was serious when I said all of that, I truly thought for a moment that you were no longer―Hey! I'm having a moment here; can you drop it with your wriggling!?" Enoshima growled.
"You don't understand, Enoshima…I-I really need you to―"
"Need me to what!? I know you're not the touchy type, but…b-but it's just a hug! You don't have to think too much about it, okay? It's completely normal thing to do between friends and also―…Hey, by the way…why are you so wet? Were you doing some exercising?"
…Shit.
"…"
"Not only that, your clothes feel kind of weird…not in a way bad way, but the texture is unusual, you know?"
I could feel how her hold of me disappeared as she let go of me…t-to…to…to get a…a…proper look at…me.
"Strange, I didn't know that you had―…that you had…that…t-that…t…w…wh…wh…w-w-wh…w-wha…? S-S-S-Shigaraki…y…y-y-you are―!" Enoshima interrupted herself as her words caught in her throat with a shocked expression on her face…and I could see how her eyes began to lower and lower until they landed on―
! ! !
SHIT!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH―"
"…*sigh* Somebody kill me, please…" I couldn't avoid muttering that again.
The day is just beginning at it's already such a mess, and why? Because I had to forgot to lock the door.
And what led to making such a mistake? Simple…sleep deprivation.
It is true that I am capable of lasting quite a long time without the need to sleep...but I ended abusing of it. On the second day, I barely sleep less than two hours thanks to the nocturnal exploration. On the third day, I had absolute zero hours of sleep because of the wariness I had from the possibility of Monokuma making a move…and last night…last night…ugh…I just hope it was worth it.
On normal circumstances, even that shouldn't have been enough to make me into such a mess, being capable of lasting for a few extra days…but yesterday, thanks to that motive video, it was anything but normal. The emotional stress it hit me with was not a small one, that plus my lack of experience on turn of events like that one…where Monokuma made me believe for a moment that my sister was in danger…or worse, it just hit twice as bad.
So yeah, because of that, when I hit the bed, nothing woke me up, not even the pitch voice of our 'headmaster' as he made his announcement, and it wasn't until I had the bare minimum power nap of half an hour that I got out of my slumber…and the moments of just a few moments ago transpired.
...Ugh.
I shouldn't waste any more time, I am finally properly dressed and every minute of waiting would cause more problems to the group and most importantly…to myself.
Just hope that they don't make a fuss of this…oh, who I am trying to fool?
Making a fuss of things it's their favorite activity.
As soon as I opened the door, I caught sight of the entire class in front of the entrance to my room.
And in turn, everyone turned to me, just as ready to voice their respective reactions to my presence.
"S-Shigaraki! You're alive!" Naegi exclaimed with a smile on his face.
Yeah, Enoshima already told me that.
"Oh! And he has his clothes too!" Hiro commented.
Gah!
"…Dude, you didn't had to come and say it…TMI, ya know?" Leon added "…Though I guess he's really a lucky guy to have a girl―"
"Do not finish that sentence" I stated with the slightest signs of a growl.
The baseball star flinched at that "H-Hey, hey, my lips are locked, s-see?" he said while nervously doing a locking gesture in his mouth.
"So, the Assassin lives, huh? That's an unexpected turn of events…" Togami mused to himself.
Geez, miss you too, Togami.
"Fufufu, it seems that Master Shigaraki carries the ultra-rare ability of possessing extra lives, indeed, only someone like him could acquire such a cheat power" Yamada declared.
Just as usual, I didn't understood half of what this guy said.
Before any more reactions could happen, a loud 'and kinda obnoxious' voice interrupted them.
"Shigaraki! While I celebrate for your integrity, you must know that your tardiness is unacceptable, more so because of the no small amount of uneasiness that allowed to plant among ourselves, do you have anything to say in your defense!?" Taka declared while pointing a finger at me.
…Defense, huh? I suppose that the best course of action is to be 'honest' in this case…
"…It's not a reasonable excuse per say, but I actually overslept, I just woke up recently" I commented.
"What!?" For some reason Togami looked shocked at that revelation.
"Hehe, see? I told ya guys Shigaraki-chi was just a similar case to Maizono-chi. Even if that crap from yesterday was fake, it was terrible sleep material!" Hiro declared.
Ah, that must be what surprised the Heir that much. Hiro being right about something is quite the novel experience.
As for the moral compass…
His face turned into a conflicted one "Mnghh! So you two were similar cases, huh? In the case of Maizono, I let her go with a warning…but doing the same twice in a row would only cause the anarchy to reign, and that is something I can't allow for the sake of our prosperity" Then he pointed his finger at me again "Shigaraki! I will take note of this and once we get out of this place, you will be put into detention in a proper educational environment, is that clear!?"
Everyone was looking at the moral compass as if he was crazy 'Which to be fair, he kind of is…', but knowing him…
"…Mhm" It's better to just go on with it, whether he remembers this or not 'It's hard to known when it comes to that guy…' is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things…and at least he didn't recur to the nonsense of reporting me to Monokuma.
With a stiff nod, Taka spoke again "Alright! Well…with this matter resolved, I believe we are done here!"
"…Um, last time I rushed into thinking that nothing bad happened…but now we can believe that, correct? There's no one else missing, right?" Fujisaki asked with a hopeful voice while looking around at everyone present.
Soon everyone followed 'her' example, including myself, looking for anyone missing among the group…Although in my case, I focused on three people in particular.
The first one was Leon.
Looking at him, I could see that just like the rest of the group he was moving his gaze left and right, though there were some moments where he rubbed the back of his neck while wincing every time he did…but beyond that, he seemed fine, I would even say relaxed if it weren't for that neck problem…
…
…It seems I was right about him not suspecting a thing, good, that's less problems for me.
Then I proceeded to move my gaze to Maizono.
I could see the slight signs of stress on her expression while she looked nervously at everyone around her, said stressful face seemed to intensify every time her eyes landed on Naegi…and when they landed on me, she flinched while returning to look around in a more hurried pace.
…Sigh. If I am honest…I'm not surprised that she sniffs something is up while suspecting of me, stupid is not a word I would use to describe Maizono 'Impulsive seems more accurate…'
But seeing that everything points to her not intending to make a scene, then I suppose I can call it a victory.
…And lastly…Enoshima.
Even if I didn't showed it on the outside, I couldn't help but become a bit nervous when looking at her and noticed the flustered expression on her face while she was rubbing her left arm and moving her eyes to the sides. Eventually, they ended up landing on me and just as fast she gave yelp while quickly turning to look on the opposite direction.
…That bad, huh? It's understandable, really. Saying that I screwed up would be the understatement of the century. I'm not an expert in the area 'Whoa, really?' but I feel like talking to her right now would just make things worse, so I should just give her space to recover from that experience.
Regardless, after looking at each other for quite a while, it seems that every single one of us came to the same conclusion.
"I believe you have nothing to worry about Fujisaki, everyone is present" Ogami said with an understanding smile.
Hina pumped up a fist at that "Yeah! Whatever that creepy bear thought he would get out of this, it didn't worked at all!"
Togami for his part, took a more pensive look "Hmm, this is quite an unexpected turn of events, I thought for sure that someone would've fell for the motive…"
…If only you knew…
"Tch, of course you would sound so sullen about it ya bastard" Owada snarled.
"Now, now, this is not a moment for internal conflict among our group, on the contrary! We faced this trial by fire and we conquered it with perfect marks, those are excellent news my friends! Hahahaha!" Taka exclaimed with vigor.
On that, the group seemed to agreed unanimously, myself included…but for different reasons.
Looking around, seeing how every single classmate is present and alive, while most of them are patting themselves in the back at a 'work well done' with positivity flowing in the atmosphere…I couldn't help but wonder…
…How is He going to react to this?
*Ding dong ding dong*
It seems I thought that just in time, as the ringing sound signaling an incoming announcement from Monokuma made everyone shut themselves to listen to it…
…Said announcement went just as I expected.
"…You…you bastards, I want every single one of you sorry excuses in the gym at MY earliest convenience…that means about RIGHT NOW! Know that those who doesn't bring their asses here, can expect a proper punishment for it…that is all"
And that was it.
Not like he needed more to destroy the joyous mood of just a few moments ago.
"W-W-What was that…?" Fukawa warily asked.
"Dunno, but the guy sounded pissed" Leon commented.
"'Course he is, I bet he's shitting himself that nobody went with his bullshit" Owada added.
"...D-Do you guys think he...he want us to see another video...?" Hina warily asked.
Kirigiri put her own piece "Regardless…you heard him; we must attend to the gym immediately. A confrontation against him is not a good idea, not when we are his prisoners…and even less now if how he sounded was any indication"
"Y-You're right, we don't know what he is capable of if he gets angrier…" Maizono commented with a worried expression.
Taka took as his opportunity to lead the conversation "Indeed, now more than ever we can't allow unnecessary risks! Let us depart to the gym asap!"
And so, everyone began to made way towards the gym, no doubt with growing dread wondering what could Monokuma would want.
Though it didn't went unnoticed by me when Enoshima turned for a moment to face me, with an expression that looked…
…That looked melancholic…
…And I couldn't avoid furrowing my brows in concern at that.
The moment we got inside the gym, what greeted us was…
"AAAAARGH! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! O―!" Monokuma furiously attacking a punching bag…
"Erm, I am imagining things…or does that thing has a picture of a person?" Leon asked aloud.
"It looks like it, and looking closely at it…is…is that Shigaraki!?" Naegi exclaimed.
"…That seems to be indeed the case…curious" Celeste commented.
…Yeah, Monokuma was beating the heck out of a punching bag with my face on it. Where did he get that picture? From the surveillance cameras, if I had to guess…
"Your on his list, huh? What did you do to piss him that much?" The biker asked me with a quirked eyebrow.
And everyone else followed his example in turning to me, curious about what I would say.
…
…I decided to just shrug it off "…I don't know, he seemed pretty intent on me killing someone, maybe he's angry that I haven't"
That seemed to be enough to satisfy the gang leader and most of the class desire for an explanation…with the obvious exceptions of Togami, Celeste and Kirigiri.
The heir and the gambler showed obvious skepticism in their own respective ways but decided that their time was better spent attending to Monokuma's call.
With Kirigiri, she opted for just staring at me for a few seconds before departing. Surprisingly, her gaze didn't contained suspicion…or at least suspicion that I was up to something bad, besides being quite intense, there was not much I could say about it.
While everyone got closer to the podium where our 'Headmaster' was doing…that, I decided to move in the opposite direction and lean against the wall, close to the bleachers.
Why? Because there's still some residue from my lack of sleep.
Of course, I am not suicidal to actually sleep at this moment and break rule three, that's precisely why I avoided the bleachers themselves as it had the minimal but actual chance of me resting there being enough to doze off and, well…not in the mood to die from something like that.
For now, resting on the wall should do.
After one minute of the bear's antics, he seemed deem enough of punching the fake version of me…
"…Ora!"
…Not before giving it one last punch.
"Geez, someone woke up in a mood, huh?" Owada commented.
"I don't know how feel about you of all people saying that Master Owada..." Yamada sweatdropped.
"Hah? What did you say, bitch!?" The biker growled.
"Nothing! That must've been a fairy playing tricks on your ears!"
Kirigiri ignored them to address Monokuma "…We are already here, what do you want?"
Monokuma stopped his glaring contest with fake me to address the mysterious girl "Do you even have to ask!? The reason for that is obvious…none of you losers is dead! I was promised a kill! Where is it!?"
Naegi of all people decided to confront the bear "Of course none of us is dead! I told you yesterday didn't I!? No matter what you say, there's no way you could convince any of us to kill each other!"
I could hear some voices of agreement at that.
But instead of getting angrier, Monokuma looked as if he regained some of his usual obnoxious playful mood.
"…Upupupupu, oh this is not what this is all about…if I am honest, you guys didn't disappointed in that area"
I could not see it from here, but I wouldn't be surprised if some gained shocked looks at that.
"…Didn't…didn't disappointed? What do you mean by that?" Taka asked.
And Monokuma seemed glad to answer "Exactly what I said! One of you decided that couldn't hold the temptation of graduating from this place, and last night they attempted to become a bona fide killer! Just as any proper student of this institution should aspire to!"
I could notice how the heads of everyone began to turn left and right in the direction of the people surrounding them, looking at each other with suspicion in search of whoever the bear is talking about…and it didn't escape me how a certain person flinched when Monokuma said all of that.
"…Is it true?" Fujisaki asked.
"So that's how it is, huh? Mhmhmhm, I knew it was too good to be true that nobody became affected by those videos" Togami said with some amusement.
"Hey, hold it right there! Don't just assume he's telling the truth!" Owada snapped.
"Owada is right! It's just part of Monokuma's scheme…and…and even if someone got to the point of getting ideas about…that, don't you guys see!? All of us are here! Whoever this person is, it's obvious that they regretted it and backed down from committing a mistake!"
That seemed to turn Monokuma into his previous state.
"Bah! What kind of crap are you saying!? Regretted it!? Backed down from going with it!? Nothing of that power of friendship bull happened! This person planned to go with this start to finish and I don't doubt that they could've gotten with it…if someone else didn't interfered! Aaargh! Ora! Ora! Ora!" …And he went back to the punching.
But no one paid attention to that, no, their focus was on that new piece of info Monokuma revealed.
"Interfered…? What does he mean by that?" Ogami asked aloud.
"Isn't it obvious? Someone sabotaged the plans of this mysterious attempted killer, and in turn they ended up saving the life of whoever this person selected as their target" Celeste commented.
"I just can't accept that scenario, a counter-sabotage to get their own kill I can understand, but just sabotaging and not doing anything else…? Who is this fool? And what could he or she gain out of acting in such a way?" Togami questioned with his brows furrowed.
"Why he did it doesn't matter, what we must know is…who is it? Whoever this person is, we must know! A True Hero like that deserves our praise! Please raise your hand to know who you are!" Taka declared.
"…"
Once again, their faces moved everywhere, looking for…this 'True Hero' among themselves. When their short search produced no results, Kirigiri turned to face Monokuma once again.
"…It seems this person doesn't want to be known…and I suppose you wouldn't tell us either, do you?"
"…Ora! Puff…hah…I admit that was cathartic…ah, you were saying something?" Monokuma asked with a tilted head.
If Kirigiri feel offended at that, she didn't show it "I was asking if you are going to reveal whoever prevented a tragedy from occurring"
"You call it preventing a tragedy, I call it ruining my fun, but potato-potahto, I suppose…so, about this party-pooper, honestly, I still can't wrap my head about him of all people acting in such a way. Like seriously, out of all you, he's the last person I expected to do something like that! It just goes against his very own nature!" Monokuma exclaimed.
At that, everyone turned to…Togami.
…
…
…Huh.
"What are you peasants looking at?" The Heir said while glaring at everyone around him.
"W-Well, the bear said the least possible person, and…erm, well, you…" Leon trailed off.
"Dude, you ain't givin' yourself any favors being such a pain in the ass every fuckin' day, who else is going to be?" Owada said.
The heir only got more annoyed when some people nodded at that "Tch, just so you know, I would never dirt my hands on such menial task. When the bear is saying 'last person he expected' he's obviously referring to―…to…What…? N-No…but it can't be anyone else…but…he…he can't truly imply that HIM of all people did something like that! It doesn't make sense! It goes―"
"―Against his very own nature…" Kirigiri completed for Togami "…And that punching bag! Are you really suggesting that S―!"
"I know, right!? Nobody could see that one coming, but is the truth! Out of all of you, the bastard who prevented a murder from happening is mister gloomy fanatic in the corner!" Monokuma exclaimed.
That declaration made everyone slowly but surely turn in the opposite direction of the podium…at the corner where I'm leaning on more specifically, trying and failing to hide the shocked looks on their faces, without exception.
As for myself, I couldn't help but wonder…
…Did these people seriously recognized he was talking about me by THAT name?