Chapter 4: Weekly Shonen Despair Magazine

Monokuma appears on the announcement screen. "Every time you sad sacks survive a deathmatch with Lady Justice, you get a shiny gift. It's a whole new world! Don't you dare close your eyes! As much as I'd love to split you open from chins to cha-chas, it's my principal-y duty to stimulate that oatmeal you call brains... Happy hunting, chill'uns! And don't say I never gave you nothing." Monokuma announced as the security gate to the second floor opened.

"Whole new world"? Dude. It's a stairwell." Hagakure said.

"A stairwell that leads to the second floor, I'm guessing." Twilight said.

"Our data's been updated as well." Kyoko said.

"In that case... Guess we better head up there and check it out." Makoto said as everyone explored the second floor, which included locker rooms with exercise equipment, one for the boys and one for the girls, a swimming pool, and a library. Everyone checked out what was in the library. Togami tried to turn on the laptop at a desk, but it won't turn on.

"It won't even turn on. Cut-rate piece of junk." Togami said.

"Not that I believed we could Google our way out of this mess, but it did cross my mind." Kyoko said.

"Well, any luck?" Togami asked as Sonic opened a drawer and found a letter.

"Hope's Peak Academy... Principal." Sonic read the letter's envelope. "It looks like this letter is addressed to the principal." Sonic opens the envelope. "Let's see... What?! According to what I see, this place isn't even a school anymore."

"Let me see." Makoto said as he read the letter. "School operations will resume once the issues have been resolved." What's that about?"

"As the note said, this place stopped being a legitimate school before any of us even set foot on the campus." Sonic thought.

"I don't know about any of you, but it looked plenty legit when I showed up." Makoto said.

"Apparently, the author of our misfortune claimed it once it was deserted, and then he set the stage for this twisted little play." Togami said.

"You sure about that, Togami?" Nino asked.

"I am. Look at this..." Togami said as he placed his hand on some books. "Sensationalist trash of the lowest order. But in here, it serves as a textbook."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Makoto said.

Togami then proceeded to open the door to a dark room. "It's not often that life grants you reason to feel such delicious frisson. The least we can do is enjoy ourselves." Togami closes the door after having said that.

"Scary..." Sonic said.

"That little ant's treating it like a game! You're in danger too, y'know!" Mondo shouted.

"It is a game, you philistine." Togami spoke.

"A zero-sum game, correct?" Celestia spoke. "Whatever you win, you take from another. Vying for spots at a good school, promotions at work... And in this scenario, the prize is life itself, but only for one of us."

"Thanks for that." Luka said.

"Honestly, the thought that you might not survive this game has never once crossed your mind, has it?" Celestia asked.

"No, and why would it?" Togami asked.

"To be frank, I'd expect no less from the heir to the elite Togami Corporation." Shadow chimed in. "The world must look different to you. Being the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, to you, challenges simply exist as accolades to be won. Even with your life on the line, you don't waver."

"So you do understand me. Shall I spell it out for the rest of you plebeians?" Togami said. "You had better try your damndest to win! Nothing bores me more than a bunch of quitters." Knuckles was ready to punch his lights out when he heard Chihiro.

"No... I can't..." Chihiro said. "This is just wrong... Why are you talking about it so calmly? It's horrible! Friends aren't supposed to kill each other!"

"I'm not the kind of person to take sides, but we are not friends. We are strangers, death-locked in a fight for survival." Shadow said.

"But... that's so... ruthless-" Chihiro said before Togami cut her off.

"I'm afraid Shadow is correct. You voted Kuwata guilty right along with the rest of us." Togami said. Chihiro gasped.

"Well, it's a good thing he got what was coming to him, y'know? Would've been our necks with the "cut here" lines on 'em instead." Asahina said.

"Yeah! Assuming you don't enjoy that kind of thing on a daily basis, you shouldn't be blaming yourself for what he did!" Max said.

"Max is right, Fujisaki!" Makoto agreed. "Even Kuwata isn't totally at fault! Whoever took us... this is on their heads!" Monokuma then appears on the announcement screen.

"Right on! You pass that buck! You're telling me Leon played hide-the-cutlery with Maizono, and it's not his fault?" Monokuma asked. "Oh, I get it: she was gonna kill him if he didn't beat her to the punch. Bye-bye free will? Whatever helps you sleep at night, darlings." The intercom screen then cuts off.

"I hate that bear." Knuckles commented.

Chihiro collapses to her knees in tears. "Stop that... You're just giving him what he wants." Mondo said.

"Hmph. Taken up coddling the weakest link, eh?" Togami said. That comment made Mondo angry.

"That's it! I'm feeding this dude his teeth!" Mondo said as he charged in.

"Just calm down!" Ishimaru spoke as he and Knuckles try to stop him from going too far.

"Like hell!" Mondo shouts as he pushed them aside.

"Hey! You need to chill out, Owada!" Asahina said. Mondo growled.

"As enthralling as it is to watch you beat your chest like a caged monkey, I'm sick of this sham." Togami said as he walked away.

"Running like a bitch, huh?" Mondo said.

"Maybe Togami is right... I can't trust anyone!" Toko said.

"Really? Now is when you finally decide to lose it?!" Asahina asked the Ultimate Writing Prodigy.

"No one gives a damn whether I'm alive or dead... You could find me torn to pieces and you'd say... "Well, at least it wasn't meee...!" Toko whimpered.

"That's not true, Fukawa!" Adrien said.

"Yeah. Just calm d-" Makoto tried to assure her, but his words were cut off.

"Liar! It's in your eyes! All of you!" Toko yelled as she ran off.

"Man... There's crazy, and then there's that chick." Hagakure commented.

"Soooo... Anyway... Since more areas have been unlocked, how about we go check out the pool situation?" Asahina suggested. "Bet a quick dip will do us some good."

"Ooh, that sounds nice." Chloe spoke.

"Hmm... Good idea." Sakura accepted.

"What are we waiting for?" Celestia asked.

"Hope the pool doesn't evaporate by the time we get there." Marinette joked.

"Good one, Marinette!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"You, too. It'll make you feel better." Asahina told Chihiro.

"Oh! I, uh..." Chihiro stammered.

Later, some of the girls are outside their locker room connected to the pool. "All right. Locker room, twelve o'clock." Asahina said as she tries to open the door, but it doesn't move. "Dang. I guess we'll have to take a rain check."

"Au contraire!" Monokuma spoke up, revealing himself on the intercom. "All you gotta do to open that pesky door is press your handy-dandy digital notebook up to the lock. Ta-da! Problem solved!" He shows them a video of him opening the boys' locker room door. It later shows him going up to the girls' locker room door trying to open it, but no luck. "Just 'cause I want y'all to slaughter each other doesn't mean anything goes. So! No boys in the girls' locker room and vice versa. Capiche?"

"What if a girl held the door open and a boy snuck in or what if they held their door open for one of us?" Asahina asked before Chloe noticed a mounted gatling gun above.

"I think that may answer your question." Chloe said, focusing their attention on the gun.

"I'm sure it will. Mr. Gatling Gun is good at finding the "holes" in their logic." Monokuma said as the video show him getting gunned down. "Get it? Roll tape!" In the video, the gun fires on Monokuma, tearing him to shreds.

"Are you kidding me?! Anyone you shoot with that thing is dead meat!" Asahina yelped.

"I think that's the whole idea, Asahina." Rainbow Dash said. "Which got me thinking... What would happen if we're to borrow a notebook from a boy and try to use it?"

"I'm curious to know as well." Celestia said.

"Hmm... I never even thought of that! Incoming rule change! "Lending your digital notebook to another student is strictly prohibited." Monokuma said as he quickly added the rule. "Good thing you said something, or you could've totally gamed the system! And that would've been unbearable! Toodle-loo, kids!" The intercom then shuts off.

"Yeah, you guys, I don't really feel like hitting the pool right now." Asahina said.

"Yeah, good call. He probably filled it with piranhas, anyway..." Marinette agreed.

Back in the library, Togami is quietly reading beside a desk lamp with Toko eyeing him from behind a shelf lovingly.

"Huh, dark in here." Makoto said as he and Luka looked around.

"Uh, hey, Fukawa." Luka greeted her.

"Please, could you be any more obvious?" Togami heard them. "The sight of you repulses me." The Ultimate Affluent Progeny then took a whiff of the air. "But I can smell you from here. Take a shower." Toko gasped. "Don't make me repeat myself. Just do as I tell you. Your stench is an insult."

"What?! Oh... okay..." Toko said as she left the library. Makoto and Luka follow her.

"Fukawa, wait!" Makoto called out to her.

"Look, I know he can be a bit of a jerk, but I wouldn't take all that stuff to heart, you know?" Luka said.

"I can't believe him... Togami is such... He's such a...!" Toko said ready to rant, but she turned to face them with a lovestruck face. "He's such an absolute dreamboat, isn't he?!"

"Huh?!" Makoto and Luka gasped in unison.

"He took the time to tell me to clean myself!" Toko swooned. "Well? What do you think of us, Naegi, Luka?"

"Wait... you mean...?" Luka asked.

"Me and Togami, duh! Aren't we the perfect couple?!" Toko asked. "Heh... Maybe you think our love is one-sided, but... you're wrong! Oh, Togami! I'm yours forever!"

"Oookay, then." Makoto nervously said. Toko then happily left.

"They sure broke the mold when they made that one, huh Luka?" Makoto asked.

"Love can be blind sometimes." Luka said.

Later in the cafeteria, Makoto and Luka walk in on Mondo and Ishimaru. "Ah, Naegi, Luka, perfect! Your timing is impeccable!" Ishimaru spoke.

"What's happening here?!" Luka asked.

"We need a ref, and you two are the first to show up... so you get the job." Mondo said. "Goody-Goody-Two-Shoes here keeps shooting his mouth off. Thinks I lack self-control or some crap!"

"Well, of course you lack it!" Ishimaru argued. "If you had self-control, you wouldn't answer every challenge with your fists!"

"Yeah?! Says the guy who yells all the damn time?! I got more self-control than you, a-hole!" Mondo glared.

"That'll be the day!" Ishimaru glared back.

"You talk a big game, Poindexter! Let's see if you got the balls to back it up!" Mondo challenged him as he and Ishimaru dragged an unwilling Makoto and Luka to the sauna. That night, they see them inside the sauna trying to withstand the extreme heat.

"These guys are serious." Luka commented.

"So... you guys? It's been like 40 minutes. You still okay in there?" Makoto asked.

"You're looking pretty pink there, Pollyanna! How's that self-control treating ya?!" Mondo taunted.

"This is my regular complexion!" Ishimaru fired back.

"You're sweating like a stuck pig!" Mondo insulted him. Ishimaru simply laughed it off.

"This level of heat is child's play! Let me know when it actually warms up!" Ishimaru said.

"Why don't we call it a tie?" Makoto asked.

"The hell with that!" The two competitors shouted.

"Don't you think we'd be better off in our rooms? It is after ten." Makoto said. Luka placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe it's best we leave them for now." Luka suggested.

"Y-You sure about that, Luka?" Makoto asked.

"In their minds, victory is all that matters. Those two are as tough as nails. They can take care of themselves." Luka said. "Besides, I've got a feeling that they'll patch things up by tomorrow." With that, Makoto and Luka left the dueling duo.

The next day, they find them laughing like they're the best of friends. "Aw, man! You're such a kidder!" Mondo said.

"Maybe you just have a great sense of humor, friend-o!" Ishimaru said before Mondo notices Makoto and Luka.

"Hey, Naegi, Luka! How's it hanging?" Mondo greeted.

"Yeah, thanks for helping out with our little duel!" Ishimaru thanked them.

"See what I mean?" Luka asked.

"Are you saying... you knew they'd become friends?" Makoto asked.

"Eh... call it a lucky guess." Luka shrugged.

"Personally, I think it's hella creepy, whether they're faking it or not." Asahina commented. The rivals turned friends laughed.

"As if a girl could understand the bond forged between two men!" Ishimaru said. "Ours is a friendship tempered in flame itself!"

"Dude, I love it when you get all poetic!" Mondo complimented.

"So? Who was it that left the sauna first?" Makoto asked for the result of the bout.

"That's water under the bridge, little man!" Mondo said.

"Put our duel out of your mind." Ishimaru said. "Kame-hame-forget about it!"

"You're over 9000!" Mondo cheered as the two friends laughed. Makoto chuckled nervously before hearing the sound of breaking glass. The sound came from where Celestia and Chloe sat. Hifumi had served them some milk tea, but the Ultimate Gambler broke her cup before she could taste it.

"The milk tea was not to your liking, I assume?" Hifumi asked.

"Serving me this swill was a culinary slap in the face." Celestia told him as Hifumi whimpered. "Henceforth, my royal milk tea will be simmered in milk, and not just slopped into a cup."

"That's a lot of work-" Hifumi said before she cut him off.

"Go make it again, you corpulent bootlicker!" Celestia shouted.

"Yes! At once! Your bootlicker is on the case, milady!" Hifumi said in fright as he hurried back into the kitchen.

"I'm so glad we had this talk." Celestia said, returning to her calm demeanor. Everyone was astounded by the sudden shift in attitude.

"I don't see what was wrong." Chloe said as she took a sip. "I think he did pretty good with this."

"At least someone is taking it well..." Luka commented before the intercom chimes.

"Sup? How about you expendable spitfires do Principal Monokuma a solid and head on over to the gym, yeah?" Monokuma asked. "We're gonna have ourselves a pep rally. Come on, meat-sacks! Show me some hustle!" He calls everyone to the gym.

"I'll give it to ya straight. 'Cause I've still got a lot of drinking to do." Monokuma said. "I look out at you kids, and y'know what I see? A buncha teenagers who aren't dead! Major bummer. That's why I'm gonna light a fire under your butts to get things moving... Maybe a real one... Don't tempt me. With that in mind, today's theme is: "Embarrassing Memories" or "The Past Secrets You Want Kept Secret"! YOLO!" He gave everyone an envelope with their respective names on them.

"Heh. As if this guy's got any secrets he has on us that-" Chloe said as she opened her envelope, but once she read its contents, she froze. "This guy's good." She proceeded to rip her paper in two.

"Let me get this straight: your plan is to make all our secrets public info unless one of us kills?" Twilight asked.

"Correctamundo! Clock's a-ticking! If I don't get a corpse outta one of you in 24 hours, the skeletons dangling in your closets will all be front page news!" Monokuma announced. "And trust me, we've got some real doozies in here! Well, smell ya later!" With that, Monokuma left.

"Yeah, so, no one's gonna go on a killing spree to keep their secret a secret, are they?" Asahina asked.

"I hope not." Sonic said. "Sure, some of our secrets are a bit embarrassing, like mine and Naegi's, but I can see that some of them are pretty deep, considering how Chloe ripped up hers."

"Trust me, some secrets are best left unread." Chloe said with an embarrassed blush.

The next morning...

"Top o' the morning, all!" Monokuma said as Makoto wakes up. The bear then laughs. "While you were busy drooling into your pillows, one of your classmates dished out a little homicide! I wonder who bit the big one...?"

Makoto then went over to the cafeteria and saw a handful of the others there. "Who're we missing?"

"Too soon to say yet." Knuckles said.

"But yet again... one of us has turned into a killer." Sakura said.

"But do you really believe that? Who'd kill someone over a dumb secret?" Asahina asked.

"Dumb to you, perhaps." Togami spoke up. "But not all secrets are created equal. Let's look for clues. Naegi, Sonic... You're with me."

"Huh...?" Makoto said. They headed to the locker rooms. They approached the door to the girls' locker room.

"The locker room. A prime setting for the taking of a life." Togami said.

"Huh? Yeah, if you say so, Togami." Makoto said. Togami approached the door. "Wait! Guys can't go in there!" Togami was able to open the door.

"Open sesame." Togami said.

"I've lifted the restrictions on these rooms while you investigate." Monokuma announced. "There's plenty of time to shoot you later."

Once they're inside, they're met with a grisly sight. The body of Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. She was strung up in a crucifix and on the wall behind her was a bloody message, reading "Blood Bath Fever." Her eyes were wide open, indicating she died instantly.

Makoto screamed. "No! It's Fujisaki!"

"I... I..." Sonic stammered.

"Da-da-da-da! We're three for three, sports fans!" Monokuma announced. "And you know what that means! A little time to collect your thoughts, along with some clues, and... Boomshakalaka! Trial!"

"What...? I don't..." Makoto was bewildered by the announcement.

"You probably don't know this, seeing as you and Marinette were still blacked out when he made the announcement for Maizono, but once three or more people find a corpse, the clock starts ticking." Sonic said. "I'll go round up the others! They'll need to see this!" He then left to gather the others.

"Another killer on the loose... And the game is officially afoot once again." Togami said.

Once everyone was gathered and everyone saw Chihiro's lifeless body. Toko fainted at the sight of blood. The students were then given the Monokuma File detailing Chihiro's death.

"Victim is Chihiro Fujisaki. Time of death: Roughly 2 a.m. The corpse was found in the 2nd floor girls' locker room in the classroom area. The fatal injury was a blow to the head by a blunt object. Death occurred instantly." Makoto read the file.

"It's safe to say that bloody dumbbell is the weapon." Tails said. "And according to this bloodstain, this must be where she was killed."

As Kyoko checked the body, she noted something strange about the state of the body. They noticed the cord that was used to crucify the body.

"That's not rope. It's an extension cord." Kyoko noticed.

"Hey, wasn't that extension cord from the library?" Luka asked.

"Yes... I do remember seeing it there." Kyoko responded.

"Doesn't look like I could find her digital notebook anywhere." Adrien said.

Throughout the investigation, Sakura told Makoto and Sonic that she spilled a protein coffee on the rug after her evening workout, but the stain that it left mysteriously vanished the next day. Celestia told them that the night before, she saw Chihiro with a duffel bag and a sports jersey in the storage room, presumably to meet up with someone, but there was no sign of the bag or the jersey. But the most puzzling detail is the fact that there was a bloodstained swimsuit model poster on the girls' side and a boy band poster on the boys' side.

"Hey, look! Another dying message!" Hagakure said seeing the bloody message.

"Looks more like a calling card, if you ask me." Applejack said.

"Speaking of calling cards, I know of one particular murderer who would leave such a message: Genocider Sho." Togami said.

"Genocider Sho... Are you referring to that serial killer that popped up recently?" Sonic asked.

"Curious yet? I'll allow you to aid my investigation." Togami said. "Follow me. You too, Naegi."

"Hey, I was just thinking. Those Genocider Sho murders have been a pretty big deal lately. Think we may be dealing with a copycat?" Sonic asked as they entered the library.

"Sorry." Togami said, denying the claim that a copycat is involved.

"How can you be so sure?" Sonic asked.

"Easily. Now hold your tongue and listen." Togami said.

Meanwhile, Kyoko and Shadow are in the school foyer and find the digital notebooks of the deceased. Kyoko manages to turn on the notebooks of Sayaka and Junko, but Leon's didn't turn on, indicating it was broken.

Back with Togami, Makoto, and Sonic, they're in the library's confidential room. "Confidential police files?" Sonic asked.

"Normally, this information is not released to the public." Togami said.

"What the heck are they even doing here?!" Makoto asked. "How do we know this stuff is for real?"

"Your skepticism is healthy, but I assure you, these are genuine." Togami said. "They match the copies in my study at home."

"Hey, I understand that you're rich, being that you're the heir of a large conglomerate, but they don't just hand that info out." Sonic said.

"That's one of your weaknesses. If something doesn't match your ideals, you disregard it." Togami said. "Here's the dossier on Genocider Sho." He shows them the profile pages. Seeing the photos of previous victims and gasps in shock. "He always writes "Blood Bath Fever" in blood at the murder scene, the victims are always male, and scissors are always the weapon. Based on his profile, Sho might suffer from dissociative identity disorder—what we used to call "multiple personalities." Also, every one of his victims thus far has been crucified, although that detail is only known to a select few officers."

"You really... think that..." Makoto began. "Genocider Sho is in here with us?!" Togami's smirk indicates that it is the truth of the matter. Sonic shuddered in fear.

"Thank goodness we found you!" Asahina said as she came in with Tails.

"What's going on?" Sonic asked.

"It's Fukawa! She's gone off the deep end!" Tails said.

"What?!" Sonic gasped.

They gather in front of Toko's room. "She's been acting off ever since we found the body. Now she's locked in her room, but yelled through the door that she wants to talk to Togami." Asahina said. She rang the doorbell. "You doing all right in there? I brought Togami!"

"He's really here...?" Toko asked as she opened the door slightly, revealing a scared look. "I'm so sorry, Togami... I couldn't keep my promise... I thought I could, but it was just too hard! But... y'know?! I'm okay! I've got it under control! I'm calling the shots again! Listen up: Genocider Sho is not gonna add me to her body-count!" With that, she shut the door.

Everyone gasped. "Fukawa, wait! Open the door! None of that made any sense!" Asahina called out as she rang the doorbell many times but couldn't get Toko to respond.

"What did she mean by that?" Sonic asked before the intercom chimes.

"I know the idea's that I give you toddlers a chance to figure out whodunit, but this is like watching paint dry!" Monokuma said. "Enough shufflin' your feet. It's time to Trial!"

Makoto and Sonic stood as they heard the announcement.

To be continued...