Even If the Entire World Were to Hate Me for It…
Silence filled the gym as the hand of the Ultimate Pop Sensation was kept shakily raised while the rest of her body was not being a different case, with her legs acting almost as if made of jelly, and her features were a 180turn of the cheery girl everyone knew for the past few days. The horror she emitted, in general, was almost palpable.
On the other side of the spectrum, besides the incredulous and shocked expressions that still couldn't process what they were seeing, there were some exceptions.
Togami seemed intrigued as if something both interesting and entertaining was occurring before his eyes.
Kirigiri also looked intrigued, but it was less as if she was looking at a spectacle like the Heir, and was more among the lines of curiosity. As if the answers to a mystery was going to be revealed before her very eyes. 'Which technically speaking, that's what's happening…'
Celeste was holding a more stoic stance, though her slightly narrowed eyes told me that her impression of Maizono was beginning to drop.
Hiro…Honestly, at this point, I'm genuinely curious about how long it will take him to finally understand what's happening, both in this current incident and our situation in general.
And Enoshima…she had her brows furrowed while looking at the Idol, but unlike Celeste, her expression, if I had to put it in some way, it was almost as if it lacked the animosity that the gambler was showing, but beyond that…I couldn't tell more about it.
I also spared an extra inconspicuous look at Monokuma, and as soon as I caught sight of him, I fought the urge to scowl when I saw his permanent grin grow wider. I'm indifferent about the situation with Maizono, if anything, it benefits me that she was revealed as the attempted murderer in front of the entire class, as now everyone will doubt in pointing me as the first suspect in future occasions.
It's just a shame that this also works as a consolation prize for the monochrome bear.
Either way, even if it looked as if the room has been frozen in time, that was not the case. Something which made itself clear when people finally recovered their capacity to speak.
"W-What…?" Hina sputtered in disbelief.
"A-Are ya for real!?" Owada exclaimed with both his eyes and mouth wide open.
"So she was the first one to fall into temptation and attempted to 'graduate', huh? Curious. She wasn't my first suspect, that much is true" Togami commented.
Celeste took a nonchalant posture as she gave her piece "It's amazing what some people are capable of, isn't it? By the way…Owada, didn't you just say a few moments ago something about causing a world of pain to our now not-so-mysterious wrongdoer, yes?"
"Oh, that is true. Well, what are you waiting for? Your target is right in front of you, don't you see?" Togami added with amusement in his voice.
Said remark made the Idol look at the gang leader with a twice as big level of fear while almost falling on her knees.
The biker for his part… "M-Me!? W-Why…B-B-But…W-Wha…H-Huh?" …Became incapable of forming a single sentence.
Considering that half of our group are girls, I don't understand why he didn't though of the possibility of one of them being a possible suspect.
Before things escalated further, Naegi interrupted everyone "W-Wait! T-This is going too far! There's…there's gotta be a misunderstanding here! I'm sure that Monokuma―!"
Togami snapped at the Lucky Student while his eyes narrowed "How much of a delusional fool can you be? Both Monokuma and the Assassin confirmed that someone tried to commit murder and Maizono herself is admitting her crimes, how much more proof than that do you need?"
The aforementioned Idol didn't replied at that, too consumed by fear to make any response come out of her mouth.
Naegi seemed to notice that, as he tried to fight her battle in her place "B-But―!"
Kirigiri interrupted Naegi's response while directing her gaze on me "Shigaraki, if I recall, you previously talked about some evidence you found, is that correct?"
"K-Kirigiri…?" The Lucky Student looked nervously at the silver-haired girl.
As for me…
I'm surprised she didn't brought it out the moment I mentioned that. I originally had planned to wrap it under the rug, returning the knife where it belonged and keeping the note to myself, just in case 'Maybe as a blackmail material, depending on how things turned out…'
But that card was burned the moment Monokuma, unsurprisingly, acted like a sore loser and made the reveal of an almost-murderer and that it was me who interfered, making it useless to keep this to myself "…It is, I actually have two pieces of evidence"
Togami looked at the mysterious girl with suspicion "What are you playing at, Kirigiri? We already know who we were looking for, what does the evidence the Assassin could have matter at this point? Even better, why not ask the Idol herself about this?"
As usual, the silver-haired replied matter-of-factly "I believe that getting the full picture of what transpired last night would be beneficial for all of us" Then, she spared a glance at the Ultimate Pop Sensation petrified state "But beyond admitting her fault, it doesn't seem that Maizono is willing to get into details of what happened"
It looked as if the Heir was going to protest at that, but suddenly, a more thoughtful look appeared on his face, as if calculating the pros and cons of going with Kirigiri's proposal "…Hmmm, maybe this could make things more interesting, and useful in their own way…Alright, I will allow it"
Ignoring the fact that she never asked for his permission, the mysterious girl addressed me once again "Can you show us the evidence?"
Without replying back, I began to rummage through one of the inner pockets of my jacket, the biggest one more precisely. When I got in touch with the handle of what I was looking for, I picked it up and brought it out…
…Revealing for everyone to see the kitchen knife in my hand.
I was about to move out of my spot to bring the first evidence to Kirigiri…when I noticed some members of the group tensed up and flinched when I took a step forward.
…
That made me op to roll my eyes 'At least they didn't made a drama out of it this time…' and instead, carefully put the blade on the ground and slide it with my foot in the mysterious girl's direction. Kirigiri raised an eyebrow at my antic, but besides that, she just picked the weapon while giving it a careful look.
"This is…?"
"The first evidence" I said simply.
"…I understand that, but I was talking about―"
The silver-haired girl stopped midsentence when a girlish gasp was heard a few meters beside her. That sound made everyone, including me, turn to the origin of the sound.
The responsible of it turned out to be Hina, who was giving the Knife in Kirigiri's hands a terrified look while Ogami was grimacing at it next to her.
It didn't took any effort for the mysterious girl to put two and two together as she turned to the duo "Do you recognize this knife?"
Ogami gave a stiff nod as she spoke "Indeed. Last night, Hina and Me were having some tea together until before the nighttime announcement in the kitchen"
"Y-Yeah, I-I didn't feel like being alone so I asked Sakura to accompany me through the day…u-um, anyway, when we decided to call it a day, the two of us noticed t-that one of the knives found in the stand inside the kitchen was m-missing…" Hina added.
Togami sent a glare at the swimmer when she finished her explanation "You are telling me that you knew a knife was missing and decided to not tell anyone about it at any point? By any chance do you only have air in that head of yours?"
While Ogami showed a disapproving look towards the Heir, Hina replied "I-I couldn't help it, y'know!? I wasn't all there last night b-because of those creepy videos! And neither I had reason to suspect the o-only person who entered the kitchen around the time the knife went missing!"
That last part caught everyone's attention.
"O-only person? A-Are you by any chance talking about…?" Fujisaki nervously trailed off.
Ogami nodded at the programmer while the grimacing on her features increased "Aye, the only person Hina and I saw was…Sayaka Maizono"
If anyone inside this room could be more shocked, they would've shown it by now…which was the case for the Lucky Student, whose confidence in defending Maizono, who had already in her own way admitted being the responsible for these series of events, seemed to slightly waver at the revelation that she acquired a weapon last night and there were two witnesses of said occurrence to confirm it.
"I see, so it's not only the knife but also the fact that there are witnesses" Kirigiri stated with a hand on her chin while looking at the blade.
For some reason, Yamada also looked interested in giving his own statement "Indeed, and once she acquired it, Maizono planned to commit a murder! That's the only possible route for this―"
"NO, THAT'S WRONG!" With a loud and assertive voice that didn't appear to belong to him, Naegi made a rebuttal against what Yamada said.
Said fanfic creator flinched at that "Uwaah! Master Naegi, what is it? What about what I said was wrong? Perhaps…do you desire to have a showdown against me in the shadow realm?"
What?
The Lucky student either didn't hear that last part or just decided to simply ignore it "Grabbing the Knife doesn't necessarily mean that it was with the intention of committing a murder, it…it could have been for self-defense!"
The Heir sighed in exasperation at the ahoge boy "Dealing with the minds of the commoners sure is a pest…" Then he addressed him with an expression full of disdain "In case you haven't noticed, this has never been about whether the Idol is innocent or not. We know she isn't, what we are doing right now is just unfolding the full context of her plan. So, if you don't have anything useful to say, which I doubt you have, then shut up and let the adults do the talk"
Naegi was having none of it, though "B-But you guys don't understand! Maizono…she wouldn't think of something like that! She was too scared to even form the idea! I know because―AH!" The lucky student stopped mid-sentence in an attempt to hide that.
Unfortunately for him, Togami caught up on that slip-up "Oh? So all this time you were keeping something to yourself, didn´t you? What was it that you were going to say?"
The ahoge boy, noticing he had messed up, did nothing more than giving a frightened look at the Heir. All the while, everyone began to give suspicious looks in Naegi's direction.
…
…
…
…Sigh.
The only person gaining something out of prolonging this more than necessary and the extra drama it generates is Monokuma. I need to get things moving.
"U-Um, w-well, you see, that was―"
"Naegi was talking about the switching of rooms" I replied in his place.
As everyone gained confused looks at that, Fujisaki raised 'her' hand while facing me "Um, switching of rooms? A-Ah! It's not like I'm doubting you, but… don't the rules say that we have to sleep in our respective rooms or we would be breaking the rules otherwise?"
Ah, that was easy to reply "Not really. The rule 3 implies that as long as you are sleeping in a room within the dormitories, it is safe. Both Maizono and Naegi made use of this loophole to exchange rooms last night"
The brown-haired boy, who had been looking at me in disbelief for quite some time, finally spoke up "W-Wha…? S-Shigaraki, how do you know that―"
"I told it a few moments ago, didn't I? I confronted the attempted killer last night, that means I had to know where this person was located"
Before the lucky student could retort to that, Kirigiri spoke up to me "That doesn't completely answer his question. How did you knew of the room switch in the first place?"
One thing is them believing I was guarding the dorms and other confessing that I was stalking Maizono all the time…
…Another half-truth it is then.
"I had this" I said as I brought up a piece of paper out of my inner pockets.
It didn't went unnoticed by me how the eyes of a certain red-head almost bulged out of his sockets while a look of terrified realization finally appeared on his face. 'So he put the pieces together until now? I guess that explains why he hadn't made a scandal…until now'
"And that is…?" Kirigiri questioned.
"The second evidence" And before she replied back at that, I elaborated "It's a note written by Maizono"
"W-What!? B-But that don't―" Exclaimed Naegi.
He didn't seem to have any luck today, because before he continued, the silver-haired girl interceded "What does it say?"
And I replied "The message asks to meet her at her 'room' some minutes after receiving it. When I intercepted this message and read its contents, I got to the pointed-out destination in place of the intended person. When I got there, I noticed that the nameplates were in the wrong location when compared to what the map in the e-handbook showed. You already know the rest of what happened"
"…Right, as the Ultimate Assassin it shouldn't have been a problem for you to disarm someone who isn't experienced with a sharp weapon" Kirigiri commented.
Togami added his own piece "Not only that, but with this last piece of information, everything takes shape into what happened last night, although…there's still one mystery left" Then he turned towards me "Tell me, towards who was this note directed?"
Before I could give a reply to the Heir, someone else addressed me.
"H-H-Hey m-man…can…can I have a look…a-at that note?" …Leon commented with a shaky voice while a grin began to form on his face. Though looking at his features in general and the circumstances of the moment, I suppose that's a nervous tic instead of an actual sign of happiness.
The way his voice was wavering didn't went unnoticed by anyone, as the entire group turned to face him. Naegi specifically looked at the baseball star with a mix of worry and confusion, meanwhile, Maizono turned to the red-head with the guiltiest looks I had seen from her so far, while at the same time she began to hug herself in a futile attempt to control her own shaking.
As for myself "…Alright, you can have it" I said while presenting the note and gesturing for him to come at me to get it.
At this point, he's just confirming what he already knows, I don't gain anything by denying it to him.
With a nervous nod, the Baseball Star approached me. At this turn of events, almost everyone gained a combination of curious and wary expressions on their faces. Togami just proceeded to look weirdly and with a quirked eyebrow at the red-head. Kirigiri for her part, gained a look of realization, no doubt being some steps ahead of everyone else and already figured out what was this all about.
When he got close enough, he picked up the note while giving me a mumbling "Thanks…" Then, he began to read the note while returning to his original spot.
Because I was facing his back, I could not see it, but the growing worried faces of most members of the class told me that he wasn't liking what he was seeing, as if that wasn't obvious.
Eventually, Kirigiri couldn't hold her nature and approached him to take a look at the note by herself, and soon everyone followed her example, gathering around the Baseball Star. As the members of the class transitioned into once again looking astonished at what they were seeing while others gasped at what was in the letter, Leon finally spoke.
"S-Shit…t-then…last…last night, i-it…i-i-it wasn't a dream, w-was it?" The red-head stuttered.
"Huh? A dream? What are ya talkin' about?" Enoshima asked what everyone was thinking, if the raised eyebrows were any proof.
The baseball star opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to get a word out of him. For a few moments, it seemed like it was going to be a futile endeavor until in an attempt to force himself out of it, he gave a big gulp and his voice came back with it.
"I-I…Last night, I was minding my own business in my room, when suddenly I heard s-someone calling me by the doorbell, that g-got kind of nervous, ya know? I thought that someone would try to force himself into my room, but…but instead, I noticed that all they did was slid a…p-piece of p-paper under the door"
"You mean this one right here, correct?" Kirigiri questioned.
The baseball star gave a shaky nod "Y-Yeah, it was that n-note…"
A look of realization and disbelief appeared on Enoshima "…Holy crap, you actually went along with it didn't ya? You received a note of someone inviting you into their room in the middle of the night and didn't suspect anything, what the hell!? How dumb could ya be!?"
Mhm, he did. Seriously, what's up with some of these people? Are they dodos?
Apparently, Yamada had an argument against that "Ghhh! You don't understand, Miss Enoshima! We are talking of an invitation from the Sayaka Maizono herself! Very few people in this world would resist such an offer…Ah! Of course, that includes me! I'm only interested in 2D after all!" A terrible one, but one nonetheless.
Enoshima just rolled her eyes at that, meanwhile, Kirigiri continued "Then, what happened next?"
The Baseball Star gave another gulp before telling the rest of his story "A-After I…After deciding to leave my room and do as the note said" Leon couldn't suppress wincing at that "…I turned in the direction of where I was supposed to go, and…and that was it"
"What do you mean by 'That was it'? Surely there must be more to this, right?" Taka questioned.
Leon denied with his head at that "No, not really…one moment I was about to take a step forward, and then the last thing I know is that I woke up in my bed"
There were sounds of confusion at that last declaration. Obviously not understanding how something like that could've happened.
"Hah? The fuck are ya talkin' about? Being in the halls and then wakin' up in your room doesn't make any freakin' sense!" Owada growled.
"Oh? Could it be that Master Leon lived in Planet Yardat in a past lifetime?" Once again, Yamada made a reference to something only he understood.
Seriously, this guy resembles way too much a certain member of the Salvation Society, at least when speaking of these antics…
Either way, Kirigiri, not for the first time, and I highly doubt that it would be the last, prevented this from turning into a new mess in which our classmates derailed from the topic at hand…by turning to me with a quirked eyebrow.
"I suppose that you have an explanation for that, correct?"
Honestly, by this point, I can only think of two possible talents this girl has, but that is something that I will have to deal with it later, for now though…
"…Mhm, I do. It's nothing complicated, actually" Taking their silence as my cue to continue, I elaborated "When I saw him leave his room, he mumbled something about going to someone else's room, that made me put two and two together and suspect he was going into a trap…so I knocked him out"
Among the gasp of surprise at that reveal, Taka spoke/shouted "Y-You attacked him!? Shigaraki, why would you resort to such a violent act!?"
"I thought of that as the best course of action given the circumstances" I said simply.
"U-um, couldn't you just told him to not go?" Yamada nervously asked.
I gave a mental roll of eyes at that "Most of you are not subtle about how uncomfortable you feel in my presence, and that's putting it lightly" I completely ignored their winces as I continued "It isn't hard to understand that if one of those aforementioned saw me in the middle of nighttime, that person would've had let fear take hold of him, making it to either flee from me or retaliate with violence. That makes talking a non-viable option"
Kirigiri was the exception, but she is the exception for a whole other lot of things, so I didn't include her in that…
…Enoshima's also an exception.
Ogami's mouth thinned before she spoke "That is…unfortunately true"
While some members of the class were giving their own kind of ashamed look, the silver-haired girl spoke while taking a pensive expression "…I see, that would also explain this morning's events"
"A lot of things happened this morning, you would have to be more specific than that" Togami stated with his brows furrowed.
As if more pieces of a puzzle were beginning to be put together, Kirigiri spoke with a tone of voice that if I didn't knew any better, I would thought it sounded excited "When everyone began to gather for the breakfast meeting, Leon made a comment about some pain in his neck and of the deep sleep he had. That seemed to suggest that this neck problem came from a bad sleeping position, but with this new information…"
The Heir completed her train of thought "…That wasn't the case, I see. What truly happened was that the Assassin struck him in the neck, and once Leon lost consciousness, he dragged him back into his room. Being the utter fool that has proved so far to be, when he woke up in his bed, the Baseball Star waved off what happened as a strange dream of sorts and thought nothing more of it"
"Indeed, but in the end, it was either that or Leon no longer being among us. Between those choices, I believe that he should consider himself grateful that it ended up being the former, Hehehe…" Celeste commented with a smile.
And just as if a bucket of cold water washed over him, the red-head reacted to that last comment "I…I w-would've died…?"
"Tch, of course, you finally get it until the very end. Yes, if the Assassin hadn't got you out of the picture by rendering you unconscious, you would've walked up straight into a laid-out trap made by Maizono and she would've got the kill required to leave this place" The Heir replied with nothing but disdain.
Before anyone else could say anything more, an obnoxious voice that hasn't spoken since quite a while ago made itself known.
"Ohohoho! You are getting a bit high on your horses, pal" Monokuma spoke with some amusement in his voice.
And that immediately made me narrow my eyes at him.
"…So you are still here. What was that?" Togami demanded.
Instead of giving him an answer, the monochrome bear opted for just waving off his question "Ah, nothing you should worry about for now. You guys just keep going with your debate of the transpired events! It's far from what I originally wanted but I have to make do with what I have, Upupupu…"
There were a few seconds of tense silence while everyone glared at the bear before anyone raised their voice again. When the silence became too much for most members of the group, things move back on track…
"E-Even if he says that we s-should keep going, what…what's the point of it!? We already unveiled everything we needed to know! T-That bitch over there betrayed us and tried to kill someone!" Fukawa exclaimed while pointing a finger at Maizono.
Such a direct accusation also worked like a bucket of cold water for those who hadn't truly caught up with what Maizono truly did…or tried to do. Because yes, while some people understood that she was responsible for planning to kill a person. It wasn't until the sets of events and the face of the would-be victim was revealed, that her actions finally sank inside the minds of every single one of them.
"M-Maizono, why…?" Hina mumbled, holding a hand on her mouth while some drops of water began to form in her eyes.
"I-I can't believe that one of us could truly…" Taka trailed off.
"O-Oi, guys? M-Maybe this is going too―" Hiro, by some strange and sudden turn of events, finally began to see that something was wrong.
Not that anyone here was in the mood to congratulate him for it, though "Oh, would you please shut your mouth, yes?" Celeste asked in a barely concealed passive-aggressive tone of voice "There are much more important things than dealing with your stupidity right now"
"Hey!"
Togami spoke as he swiftly ignored the Clairvoyant protest "That is true. Now that everything is sorted out, it is of utmost importance to know how we will deal with this offender"
"D-Deal!?" Fujisaki cried out.
Togami seemed ready to snap at the programmer for what he apparently saw as a personal offense, when a voice with the slightest signs of righteous anger exclaimed at everyone in the room.
"Wait a moment, everyone!" Naegi shouted.
…Is he really still going with this?
The heir addressed him with narrowed eyes "…You again, it seems you haven't learned your lesson, do you? What is it now? Are you intended in giving a futile protest?"
While most of his body was trembling, the Lucky Student managed to do a firm nod "Am I intended in keeping going…? What kind of question is that? Of course, I plan to insist when people are talking about how to deal with a classmate…A friend of ours! That is wrong no matter how you see it! Even more so because no one here has allowed Maizono to give her a chance to talk, to give her version of events! How can we pretend that we are done with this when―"
For all his bravado, it seems a detail flew past him…
"Can you freaking drop that shit, man!?" An exasperated and frustrated voice shouted with just as much vigor as the ahoge boy.
Wasting not even a second, everyone turned to the origin of said voice, and it was Naegi himself who said the name of its owner.
"L-Leon…?" The Lucky Student weakly said "What do you mean by drop it―"
The Baseball Star snaped "What else!? What you are doing! Y-You don't get it?" Then, he began to gradually drop the level of his voice, showing the not so subtly signs of fear in his tone "You keep going and going on her defense dude! Even after all this, you…you keep trying to back her up, what the hell!?"
Togami took a pensive look at that "Hmmm, I thought he was just being stupidly naïve, but…perhaps his true colors are that of an accomplice?"
Among the new chorus between the classmates, Ogami slightly raised her voice while looking at the heir "…An accomplice? What are you talking about, Togami?"
"I can see where he is going…and it certainly is a possibility. Wasn't it addressed just a few moments ago that Naegi and Maizono switched rooms? It's not out of the realm of possibility that maybe that in itself was part of a ploy they both elaborated together, is it?" Celeste commented.
In front of this new wave of accusations, the Lucky Student tried to defend himself "W-What!? That doesn't make any sense! It's only that I cannot believe that she would do something like that! I refuse to―"
But a certain red-head was still not done "And I couldn't either, man! I didn't believe it myself either!"
The Lucky Student 'And most of the group…' didn't saw that one coming, if those surprised looks they have on their faces are anything to go by. Though thinking about it…that would also reinforce why he wasn't that vocal at the beginning.
Taking the following silence as his cue, the Baseball Star continued, the shaky tone of his voice coming back with vengeance "…W-When the girl raised her hand just after Shigaraki suggested for the a-attempted-murderer to show on their own account, I…I didn't believed it, I-I thought that it was just some kind of a bad joke" A trembling grin began to form on his face as he continued "Hell, when people began to talk of her and the knife she grabbed from the kitchen, I still was refusing to accept it. I hung up on thinking that I really did just dreamed it all…"
"…T-Then the note was brought up and all of it came crashing down. When I began to read it again and again and saw that it was the exact same one as what I remembered, I…I just couldn't, man! Everything pointed to that same thing! T-That…That if Shigaraki hadn't beat the crap outta me and dragged me back to my room, I-I would no longer be here" A hollow chuckle followed "…Tell me, dude…how the hell do you expect to not freak out when I was lured out towards my death, and there's a shit-ton of evidence to prove it. Last night I could've died, that…that wouldn't be cool at all, y'know?"
After Leon finished with his speech, a grim and hollow silence fell upon the entire group, with no exception whatsoever. Whether those who would clearly not care about paying any respect to such statement like Togami and Celeste, were keeping themselves shut out of some sense of respect or they just didn't had any comment to make about that, I'm honestly not sure. Killing and dying, while those two words go hand in hand, they are by no means the same thing, and if someone inside this room didn't knew of that…well, they do now.
There was a reaction when it finally stuck into everyone's heads that Maizono has planned to kill someone, and there was a whole other different one when they finally understood that one of them could've died last night and no one would've been the wiser about it.
Regardless of all of that, though…
"…I…I…I just…just…" Naegi still had a tiny bit of fire, it was as small as a spark, but it was there nonetheless, refusing to let go of the most important person he has inside these cursed halls. Even if keeping going with it after what Leon said would make him look terrible for the remaining members of the group, even if people could AND would berate him for choosing the would-be killer over the victim, he refuses to give up.
I obviously understand how wrong he is by following this path, to the point of agreeing with Togami on the Lucky Student acting like a blind fool. Every logical argument points toward the ahoge boy being on the wrong side of this argument…
…And even so…
…A tiny, minuscule, almost microscopic corner of my mind could help but ask…
…How…?
…How is he capable of holding that much faith in her?
…Could…
…Could I be capable of such a feat myself?
Any more pondering I could have about that were discarded when the last ambers of resistance from Naegi were put to rest. Not because he had suddenly given up on his own, and neither because someone brought up an argument good enough to subdue him. No, what finally made him concede defeat was…
"…*sob* S-Stop…please, Naegi…*sob* just stop…"
…The last voice who was left from uttering a single word, which finally made the act of presence.
"W-Wha…? M-Maizono…?"
Between growing sobs, flowing tears on her cheeks and a hoarse voice, the Idol spoke with stutters "…Y-You don't have t-to keep going with…*sob* w-with this…you never had to i-in the first place…"
"What!? But everything they said―!"
"It's all true" I could see the effort Maizono forced herself to exert to make sure that single sentence was clear enough for Naegi to understand.
"Oh? So, she's finally willing to speak, it seems…" The gambler commented.
"Hmph, it is too late for that now. She had already admitted defeat since long ago, and every important question about this has already been answered. A verbal declaration would do nothing to change things. This little charade has already lost its fun" The Heir stated.
Even so, the Lucky Student ignored them both while looking at the Idol as if she had just spoken a whole different language, showing not a singles spec of understanding at her declaration. And so, he made it known…
"…W-What…What do you mean by that, Maizono…?" The ahoge boy warily asked.
Like she once did, the Ultimate Pop Sensation hugged herself in an attempt of controlling the trembling all around her body "H-How many times d-do you need to hear it, Naegi? Every accusation they have made is true. The Knife, the note, my…m-my plan to carry out a…a…a…a murder…"
As Naegi became stunned, trying to process that information most probably, someone else piped in.
"Does that mean even the accomplice's part?" Togami asked with a smirk.
That made the Idol's panic come back at full force "W-WHAT!? N-No! N-Naegi didn't knew anything about this! He's―!"
"A-As if anyone is going to b-believe you! I-It's obvious you were trying to cover each other! You have been doing that since the beginning!" Fukawa accused.
"NO! I-I'm telling you―!"
Celeste gave the Idol a flat look as she interrupted her "No offense, dear…but your word couldn't have any less valuable right at this moment. I highly doubt that anyone here could believe anything that comes from you in your current circumstances"
Such declaration made the Idol look around with a far from small amount of fear, which did nothing but grow when everyone who wasn't directly accusing her already, sans Kirigiri, developed conflicted faces while looking the other way when Maizono put her sight on any of them.
Fortunately…or unfortunately, because I highly doubt that this is an actual struck of good luck for her, I took the growing smirk of Monokuma as my signal to do a little interference of my own. I know that the sowing discord could benefit me later on, but…eh, I'm still feeling kinda spiteful, so there's only so much fun I can allow him to have.
"I actually believe what she is saying" I commented nonchalantly.
There were a few seconds of silence, and then…
"WHAT!? Master Shigaraki!?" Yamada exclaimed.
"The hell!? Now are ya takin' her side!?" Owada growled.
Celeste, for her part, developed an amused smile at my commentary "My, you still are full of surprises, aren't you? I just only hope that this declaration of yours isn't only made with the intention of disagreeing with me, Shigaraki"
As for Togami "…What are you up to now? I certainly expect that you didn't developed the capacity to feel pity towards the Idol out of nowhere, so why are you defending her, then?"
As everyone looked at me with both surprise and curiosity, I explained myself "You guys are misunderstanding, I don't have any intentions of defending her or 'taking her side'. All I said is that I believe her when she says that Naegi didn't knew anything about her plans"
Another moment of silence, and then…
"…You lost me, dude. How the heck is that not defending the chick?" Owada asked.
I elaborated as I saw a few nods of agreement with the Gang Leader "It's not a defense in her favor because instead of accepting the theory of Naegi being an accomplice, I believe in another possibility that makes much more sense"
Thankfully, they had Kirigiri to make up for all of them "…You are thinking of a scapegoat, aren't you?"
I nodded at her "Mhm"
Although they could always count on Hiro to make up for Kirigiri "Huh? Scapegoat? What does a goat escaping to who knows where has anything to do with this?"
…Sigh, so much for finally beginning to see the reality of our situation, huh?
"It's not that, you imbecile. What the Assassin is suggesting is that Maizono was planning to blame Naegi after being done with her 'deed', all in an attempt to deceive us into thinking it was him who would've killed Leon instead of her" The Heir explained. Then he turned towards me "If I recall, a few days ago you also talked about the fact that there was absolutely no gain from an accomplice out of this deal, I suppose you are working under that logic here too. It's a much firmer theory, that much is true…but there's still more to it, isn't it? I have no doubt of it"
I was a bit tempted to just say no…but this was not the moment nor the place to be messing around "…Mhm, there's one more thing" I move my gaze from the Heir towards the entire group in general "Regardless of his willingness to defend Maizono, does anyone here actually think of Naegi as capable of deception? That it would be possible for him to keep something like this without making slip-ups since this morning?"
That made them gain pensive looks, no doubt recalling what they know of him so far to form a response towards what I asked. And because of that, a few seconds was what everyone need to find the answer they were looking for.
It began with the biker denying with his head "…Nah, the dude doesn't seem like the type"
"Indeed! Someone like Naegi would make for a terrible liar!" Taka exclaimed.
"If we look at it under that perspective…yes, I can't see him trying to deceive anyone even if his life depended on it" Celeste conceded.
"Yep, that's our Naegi-chi, honest to a fault!" Hiro commented.
Instead of weighing whether to take those commentaries as either compliments or insults, the Lucky Student looked around with frustration, confusion, dread, and so many other things. With all of that combined, it appeared that he was going to make one desperate last stand…
…But Maizono caught up on it, and put the final nail in the coffin.
"…Y-Yes, what Shigaraki said is t-true…I-I was planning to use Naegi…"
"Guh!" A groan was all that came out of the Lucky Student's mouth along with a heartbroken expression.
The Idol ignored it in favor of keeping going with her version of events "I asked him to switch rooms so that after…after doing…that…I would've returned the nameplates back into their original place, m-making it seem as if nothing had happened. That way, when people…people…*sob* f-found…found what I-I did in his room instead of mine, that…*sob* that would have driven off suspicion away from me…" A few seconds passed in which seemed as if she was holding back something inside of her before she let it go "I'M SORRY! I…*sob* NAEGI! LEON! I'M TRULY SORRY! I…*sob* I NEVER TRULY WANTED TO, B-BUT I'M NOT THAT STRONG! I-I THOUGHT THAT I HAD TO, I-I…*sob* I couldn't see any other way…"
Following that, the Idol dedicated herself to cry. To cry and cry and nothing more, no different than a little child. Such a reaction made the group react in different ways. Some, the most sensible and soft-heartened ones, were coming along with the regret in cascades the Idol was leaking. The more neutral ones, while not looking furious, they had betrayed looks on their faces. The last ones, the more cynical ones, were looking down on her with a not at all hidden sentiment of disdain, seeing what she was doing as a stunt to gain some pity points and nothing more…
…As for me?
I felt nothing.
I tried for a moment though, but try as I might, nothing came to me. I tried to buy her sob story, and even though I don't think of it as fake, it didn't sway my heart, not even a millimeter. I tried to feel betrayed, but that also was a futile endeavor 'You can't be betrayed by someone you didn't saw as an ally in the first place…'. I also attempted to look at her negatively, but that didn't came either. Maybe that last one was neutralized because her actions helped me spite Monokuma, even if only for a moment? Maybe…
"…H-Hey…Maizono" The red-head spoke, though he seemed to refuse to look at the Idol directly.
Said Ultimate Pop Sensation flinched at the voice, but nevertheless, she forced herself to shut down her sobs as she addressed the Baseball Star with a considerable and warranted level of wariness "W-What is it…?"
"…Wh…Why…Why me…?"
Maizono only looked confused for a second before realization dawned upon her. For a moment it seemed that she was going to close up again, denying the red-head of an answer. But whatever inner demons were laying inside her mind, she waved them off with a shake of her head as she spoke "…I-I thought you were…were the one with the highest chances of a-actually going along with…with what the note said…"
Said response received an empty laugh from Leon "Haha…So, I was the easiest prey? The biggest fool in the group? That's what are ya sayin'?"
The bluenette furiously denied with her head at that "I-I didn't mean it like that! I-I―"
Leon interrupted her while waving off with his hand "It doesn't matter, I-I get it…maybe…I don't fuckin' know…" He gave a shaky sigh before continuing "…C-can you tell why? What made think that y-you had…had to…y'know?"
The fact that she bit her lowers lips while once again hesitating for a moment, proved that revealing this too was another challenge. Though maybe it was the fact that she had already gone this far that made take only half as much this time before she gave her response "T-The video Monokuma gave us…"
"The motive? I see…what was inside yours?" This time, it was Kirigiri who made the question.
Maizono looked uncomfortable to respond to that, but she did nonetheless "It was my idol group…*sob* all of them…everyone…laying on the ground. They are like my family for me…but that cursed video showed them as nothing more than puppets whose strings had been cut, a-and I didn't knew, if…*sob* if they were just unconscious or worse. Whatever was the case, I had to know! I-I had to see for myself…"
…Family, huh? At the very least, that much I can see where does she comes from.
Maybe after a declaration like that one, a few people would consider the idea of keeping their voices shut. Either to contemplate this new piece of information or to sympathize with her struggle, all varying on who you ask.
Of course, Monokuma doesn't fall into the 'few people' category.
"Oh boy! The Idol industry sure is one hell of a place, don't you guys think!? I mean, attempting to kill because of the bonds forged in there! That's a crazy world right there!"
Some people flinched at that, no doubt forgetting 'Again…' that Monokuma has been here the whole time.
Although that also brought Naegi out of his despairing stupor "W-What are you saying…?"
"Don't you see!? Just look at her" The monochrome exclaimed with enthusiasm while pointing a paw towards the idol, who looked terrified at being singled out by him "Everyone thought of her as this nice and lovely girl, but once she showed her true colors…she ended up having a looser hand than the Ultimate Assassin itself…oh! Shigaraki! Think that nuthouse you call home has a place for someone like her?"
I'm not even gonna bother looking in his direction.
"…Nothing fazes you, huh? Always a party pooper…anywaaays" The bear turned again to the Lucky Student "I really get what you are going through, you know?"
"…"
"All this time, you tried and tried again, attempting to keep some honor on that blackity black soul of hers, and what did you get in exchange for that? Despair! The despairful truth that she long since betrayed you!"
"…"
"…You can't feel anything but utter despair at that revelation, don't you?" And with that, Monokuma ended his monologue, a relaxed grin on his face working as proof of his satisfaction, thinking of pouring salt on Naegi's wound as a job well done…
…
…
…To his, mine, and the rest of the class's surprise, though…
"…Maizono" After being silent for quite a while, the Lucky Student spoke up.
Now it was the Idol's turn to not being capable of looking at Naegi out of shame, but because of that same shame, she managed to reply "N-Naegi…I-I know I don't deserve it and neither do I expect for you to actually accept it, b-but I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry that I involved you in such a way. I―"
The Lucky Student interrupted her as he spoke again "Maizono…you…you lied to me…you used me, and…and I can't even really know since when…" Before the Idol could make a rebuttal to that, he continued "And last night, you planned to kill someone. W-We got lucky that Shigaraki was there to stop you from hurting anyone…or worse, something much worse. But as good as that is, it doesn't change the fact that you tried to do something terrible, something unforgivable, and…and for that very reason, I…I can't forgive you…"
The Idol looked heartbroken at that response, but at the same time, she gave an understanding nod "…O-Of course, I have no right to ask for forgiveness, I―"
"―At least not right now" The Lucky Student said with a determined look, the shadows of despair desiring to consume him just a few moments ago gone on his eyes.
…
"Huh? / Eh?" Maizono and Monokuma said at the same time.
"I can't forgive you…immediately. It's way too soon for that…but maybe…maybe when time heals this scar…but not only that!" The Lucky Student turned his determined look directly into her "Maizono. You have to prove yourself, not only to me, but to everyone here!" He exclaimed as he gestured to the entire group "You don't need to ask only for my forgiveness, but also that of the entire group! You have to keep going and going until every single one of us approves your apology, it will fall upon that moment, and only then, to know whether you truly meant what you are saying!"
Everyone was looking at the Lucky Student as if he grew a second head, not believing what he was implying…
…Maizono, more than anyone "N-Naegi!? Wh…Why!?" With growing tears in the corner of her eyes, the Ultimate Pop Sensation addressed the Ultimate Lucky Student "Why are you giving me a second chance!? I-I don't deserve it! S-So, why!?" She asked the question everyone had on their minds…including me.
Because honestly, I…I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was giving a new chance after a betrayal of such magnitude from someone he has know for less than a week. It's not forgiveness, sure, but Naegi was implying that the opportunity for it was there for her to reach. What reason could be running around that head of his to come to such an answer?
It didn't took long for him to answer that question "It was of your own volition what you attempted last night, so it's undeniable that you carry some of the blame for that, but…" His determined gaze turned into an angry one as he turned towards…Monokuma and pointed a finger in his direction "But most of the fault it's on him!"
"Yep, Yep, it's all on old mean Monoku―Wait, me!?"
With a sharp nod, the Lucky Student went on "Yes, you! If you hadn't forced us into this situation, none of this would've happened in the first place! It's your fault Maizono felt forced into going with something like that!"
At that declaration, the monochrome bear began to nervously tremble for a moment 'Though I highly doubt he actually means it…', before he once again regained his bravado, as if he still held a triumph card "Oh, yeah? Those are some big words, but you are forgetting something, pal" Then he moved his gaze in the direction of the Baseball Star "It's good and all that you are awakening some cheap sense of justice…but that right doesn't belong to you. You weren't the one who was promised a sharp death just a few hours ago, right?"
In that sense, the bear is correct. While Naegi suffered from this incident, at the end of the day Leon is the victim, he is the one whose forgiveness or second chances should matter to the Idol, after all, she planned to murder him. Just as curious as the rest of the class, I, along with everyone else turned our gazes to the location of the Baseball Star who was moved to a second picture just a few moments ago.
Both Naegi and Maizono, the Idol twice as much, waited for the verdict of the red-head with holding breaths and grim anticipation.
After one minute of waiting, which I don't doubt felt like an eternity for those two, Leon finally found his voice "…Girl, just a moment ago you talked of your motivation to go with…with that" He winced at his own words "That it was people so important to you that you saw like a real family of sorts, but…but I also have something like that, y'know?"
If he saw the regretful and ashamed look when he said that sentence, he didn't mention it "I have an old man and a cousin out there waiting for me. My cousin…" A conflicted smile formed on him at that "…She's…a bit, okay, more like a complete weirdo. Even so, I owe her a shit-on. Like sure, now I'm aiming to become a rockstar, but back then when I didn't mind the Baseball junk, she was there for me all the way there and even when I didn't, she has been there for me too. The best days, the good ones, the regular, the bad, and the worst ones. In all of them, I could count on her. The best friend I could ask for, no doubt about it…*sigh* if only she could lower it down a bit in the affection…" He muttered that last part to himself, though I still caught it.
Huh.
Regardless of…that, the Baseball Star's smile turned more natural as he went on "Then my old man…*sigh* honestly, just because of his attire alone you wouldn't believe how much of a laid-back person he is. He gave two or three good scoldings in his time when I told him of me quitting Baseball and when I changed my vibes, sure, but beyond that? Just like my cousin, he always encourages me to go with my dreams, with what I believe it's best for me even if sometimes we disagree on what counts as that…"
Then, the smile turned into a frown "And you were planning to take that away from me, permanently"
With that single phrase, even if the Idol still looked determined to accept whatever righteous fury fell upon her, I could notice the signs of fear coming back.
"Does that makes me angry? Of course it freakin' does! It pisses me off how selfish you were, dammit! I too have important people out there I wanna see. Shit, everyone here has family and friends they want to meet again and make sure they're okay!" When he said that, a look of realization formed on his face as he turned to me "A-Ah, um…almost everyone. S-Sorry, man, I didn't mean…"
So that lie still holds, huh?
"It's okay, I didn't took offense to that comment" I waved off his concerns while also ignoring the look Kirigiri was giving me.
Leon gave me a nod before turning to the Idol once again "…The point is, you acted as if your life and those you care about were above the rest of us, that's just wrong. It's bullshit, I tell ya"
When the silence fell after that last statement, the Heir said something that it spoke for the rest of the group.
"…You know, for someone who was the target of a murder plan, you sure are going easy on her. I thought for sure that you would be louder and more vocal about an incident such as this one if I am honest"
At that, the Baseball Star looked down while he began to scratch the back of his head "…I know. Maybe…Maybe I would've been angrier and even hateful if last night I had actually gotten to her room and she attacked me, but…but w-well, you all heard what happened, right? Shigaraki over there took care that it didn't came to that, so…yeah, there is that"
After that, Naegi took his opportunity to speak "…Um, Leon. Then what does all of that mean exactly? Are you perhaps planning to―?"
"Forgive her? Hell naw man. If you of all people can't do it right away, then we are talkin' of a pipe dream when it comes to me, y'know? When I say that I'm angry at her, I mean it. It's just…*sigh* I don't know, dude. I need time…a fucking lot of time to know what to think of all this shit. Even so…hey, Maizono"
"Y-Yes!?"
Even to this moment, he addressed her without looking at her in the eyes "You already heard all the stuff I said, right?" When the Idol nodded, he continued "Alright, just wanting to make sure. I…I can't forgive ya for that shit you pulled, not now and, hell, I don't even know if someday I will, but…for now, do that junk Naegi said"
For the first time since this fiasco began, the expression of Maizono revealed something that hasn't been showing signs of being with her since this morning, it was…
…Hope.
"L-Leon, does...does that mean that you too…?" The bluenette trailed off.
"Don't get carried away, girl. As I said, I'm not that dude over there" He said while pointing at Naegi "But what he proposed…it ain't that bad. It's a start, yeah?"
"Y-Yes! I-I know it doesn't mean anything right now, but I-I swear that I will do everything I can to make up for this chance both you and Naegi gave me!" The Idol declared, and even though she once again, for who knows how many times in this day, began to shed tears, it's obvious that these were far different from the ones full of sorrow and despair she has been having so far.
And with that, the other's reactions were soon to follow.
"Jesus Christ, dude, this fuckin' day has been a roll coaster of emotions from start to finish" Owada grumbled.
Fujisaki nodded at that "I-I'm just glad that nobody got hurt…"
"It's a shame that this happened in the first place, but it is good to see that we managed to reach a peaceful conclusion, a fragile one, but peaceful nonetheless" Ogami commented.
"Yeah...I was really scared those few times where it seemed that things were going to take a dark turn, but I suppose this will have to make do, right?" Hina added.
Togami scoffed at that "Hmph, the only reason things ended this way is that this situation involved the two biggest fools in the room"
Such a conclusion ended with mixed reactions among the group. Some embraced the possibility of Maizono walking a brighter path while others felt it was wrong for her to receive a chance like that one after what she did…and what she tried to do.
As for myself…
…I was honestly surprised.
Saying that I didn't expect for both Naegi and Leon 'The latter only to a certain degree…' to find in themselves the will to give Maizono a chance of redemption is an understatement.
And it seems I wasn't the only one thinking that.
"Ughhhhh! ! ! What the hell is with this crap!?" A fuming Monokuma growled.
"Hahahaha! It seems it's our win once again, Monokuma! The goodwill of our friends overcame the storm of your malevolent plans!" An almost euphoric Taka declared.
"Grrrr, you guys are being so boring!" The monochrome bear exclaimed before turning to me "You had to act as a bigger weirdo than your usual self and rain on my parade, didn't you? If you hadn't prevented a murder from happening, right now we would've been reaching the climax of a good class trial and I would be declaring the execution of the wrongdoer!"
I have said before and I will say it again: If this pile of walking scrap believes that there wouldn't be retaliation for making believe that Maki was―
! ! !
What…?
…Class…
…Trial…?
"What did you say?" I asked high enough for everyone to stop their chit-chat and turn their focus on me.
It seems I wasn't the only one who caught up on what the monochrome bear said "Class trial? Execution?" Kirigiri pressed.
Monokuma blinked a few times before he began to 'panic' as sweat poured from his forehead "Ah! Did I let that slip out of my tongue!?" It's obvious he did it on purpose "Oh, well. No use crying over spilled juice. Seeing that I have already spoiled the surprise even if a murder has yet to happen, allow me to clarify on what I mean by a Class Trial. Upupupu…you guys are going to love this…"