"It all started as soon as the mushrooms kicked in. I was indeed in the nurse's office at the time. I was in the middle of collecting medicines for the rest of us when I began to notice the physical effects—the nausea and dizziness and whatnot—then the psychological symptoms set in. For me, it was thinking about just how far we've fallen. In only a couple weeks, we'd already lost five students to death, and the relationships between some of us are deeply fractured now. I was just. Filled. With. So. Much. Rage!" Noa gripped her podium, digging her nails deeper with every word.
"I just couldn't control myself! I simply had to do something! To act! Not stay still! And that was when I got the idea to purge all of the ugliness from the world, and Aoi acted as a catalyst. By the time I was ready to leave the nurse's office, she was also leaving the academy, having deposited Hiiro in her dorm. I intercepted Aoi as she raced to Tsubaki's aid, and it inspired me to look beyond appearances and judge by hearts. That was when I came up with the idea of the tests. If they survived the attack, it proved that their Hope was stronger than Despair and Death.
"We already discussed how I attacked Aoi, and how that was only the beginning. In my effort to be as equal as possible, I wished to move through every unit, taking one member at a time. Miyu was spared only because she punished and tested herself. M4, I had no idea were in the dorms. I, myself, was the representative of Photon, as this trial has been my test. Esora and Rei were next, random chance."
Esora grit her teeth, a soft growl in the very back of her throat as she tightened her hands around her podium railing as well. Fuck you, Nozomi.
It is all your fault, Shimizu. Did you know that? I simply told her the truth, that you were on my list, and she BEGGED me to split some of the cost with her. I've never seen her so angry before. I've seldom seen anyone than angry before. She attacked me, and forced me to defend myself. She was not originally supposed to be the sacrifice of Hapiara. That would've been Akashi, had I had MY way. But you, Shimizu… That is why her wound was so brutal. She was bearing more sins than belonged to her. A noble offer, though she wasn't strong or Hopeful enough.
"After Esora and Rei, it was time for me to begin the cycle anew, and Hiiro was my next choice. As she alluded to before, I summoned her out with a text message. Esora, Shinobu, Muni, and any other technologically inclined, feel free to try and see how I was able to send the anonymous text. It was at about this time that I finally got the idea to try to kill multiple birds with one stone, literally. Instead of hunting each of you down one by one, if I could design the perfect Ultimate Trap, it would wipe everyone out equally, including myself.
"It is both comedy and tragedy; I left clues behind in case my machinations proved invisible to you, and yet even some of the clues were missed! Yes, I left the bottle cap beneath Aoi. It is in far too conspicuous a location to have been accidental. There was another, rather large clue that no one picked up on; however, I do not fully fault anyone, for it was revealed during a most distressing period. If you recall, the north wall of the academy is covered in pipes, tubing, machinery, wiring, air and water purifiers, vents, you get the picture. Well, not all of that used to be there…
"When I finally got the idea to take out the whole class in one fell swoop, I knew I would need a mass killer that was silent and invisible. Gas was a perfect choice, in specific, carbon monoxide. Some of the tubing and piping on the north wall of the academy was added by me to change the flow of the air. Remember all those plastic pipes and sheets from the construction sites? That's where I got the rope to tie Aoi up. Also yes, that is indeed where I hid Rei's leg," she added with a grim, dark smile.
The Ultimate Pianist's limb was currently hidden inside one of the pipes attached to the academy's north wall. It was a disturbing thought, and all of the students, especially Hapiara and Esora, looked ready to kill Noa on the spot. But Noa wasn't done yet. "While the rest of you were either hidden in your dorms or lost in the forest, I had free range to come and go from the academy as I pleased, grabbing whatever supplies I needed along the way as well. That included all the cloth and changes of clothes I needed. It was a very messy night.
"By morning, all I had to do was turn on some of the appliances and keep people away from them, and that was an exceedingly easy task given everything we had to deal with in the search-and-rescue parties. Ah, it wounds me how close I came! Everything was perfect! Everyone was there! My machinery was perfectly set up, aligned, and functional! All I needed was a little more time… We should've all been dead! But then…" The Ultimate Theater Actress' face turned dark and cold as she scowled at the Headcatster. It didn't react at all.
By the time the closing argument finished, the whole student body was silent with horror, disbelief, and outrage, then Noa began to laugh all over again, immediately switching from affronted indignation to unhinged hysteria.
"Ahahahahahahaha, awwww, c'mon, what?" Noa crooned. "You can't handle the truth?" Then she switched back again, tone becoming clinical and intellectual. She even raised a finger to accentuate her point as she lectured the class patronizingly. "Monochio blabbers on and on about Hope and Despair, and as much as I despise it—"
"How rude. I'm very hurt. You should apologize."
"—I suppose there is a modicum of truth to it. After all, my dichotomy, the diametrically oppositional viewpoints that I hold, are Cute and Ugly. In the same way we yearn for Hope to flourish and Despair to perish, so too may we view the world as Cute and Ugly. Virtues such as faith, love, trust, and hope cannot exist in a world tainted by ugliness, corruption, cowardice, and evil." Noa's smile twisted.
"You must think me horribly ugly, no?" she crooned and queried. "Yes, that much is true, and it is a cruel fate to be sure, for all I ever wanted was to be cute to someone! …Or at least, that is what I would say if I was trying to come up with a sobstory backstory," she smirked. "Alas, alas, love will have its sacrifices, and there is no sacrifice without blood. And so, my dear friends, I gift myself unto all of you!" Noa opened her arms as if embracing the room. "Make of me a vessel unto which you cast all of your Ugliness that only Cuteness may remain!"
"You're sick," Miyu finally whispered, surprising all who heard her. But for once, there was no fear in her face or voice, only anger. She looked at Noa with nothing but complete and utter contempt. There was no mercy, sympathy, or forgiveness left in her. Not anymore. "You talk as if you were some great and powerful deity, yet you speak of purging classmates!" She clenched her hands into fists and seethed through her teeth.
"I was pruning branches that no longer served us," Noa replied coolly. "Make no mistake, I take full responsibility for what I've done, and though I wish it hadn't needed to happen, I would do it again if I had to. Besides, have I not united you against me now?" Her face became euphoric. "You claim that I am the monster who did nothing but tear this class apart. You couldn't be further from the truth! I didn't sow the seeds of discord or distrust, that was Monochio. I inspired unity in you! And it. Is. So. Precious! Ahahahaha!"
Noa clutched the sides of her face again and doubled over while the others could only watch on in horror and disgust, in awe at the mental gymnastics she performed in order to justify anything that she said. Only a few of them were even able to begin to understand. What Noa meant was that over the course of the entire Killing Game, Monochio had done nothing but try to get the students to turn on one another. That much was obvious, and none of them disagreed with it. What Noa was suggesting, however, was that she was the one to unite them all again.
"By making you hate me, by forcing you to work together to uncover my mystery, I have shown you that you can work together, fight, and survive! That is so much more than Monochio has ever done for anyone!" Noa declared. Only she was going to end the class trial with a smile. Even Monochio had to accept that Noa had outsmarted it. Maybe it tried to stop her dark machinations dead in their tracks, but she got her revenge, exactly as she promised that she would. I told you, Monochio, don't cross or underestimate me.
That was the real reason why Monochio triggered Rei's BDA early. Had it remained inactive, the entire class would've succumbed to Noa's deadly schemes as Ibuki had, and the Headcatster simply couldn't have that! So, it… intervened. By clearing out the nurse's office, it gave itself time to go inside personally and clear out much of what Noa had done. By the time the students returned, oxygen levels were much closer to normal. It would still be hours until everything was completely clean, but with Noa's plan over, the fatal threat was gone.
In a way, I suppose it is a backhanded compliment, Noa smirked. It's not every day the Headcatster is genuinely frightened of a student. It must've thought I was a pretty dangerous threat to cheat at its own game just to stop me.
It was still infuriating, though, just because it wasn't fair. Gah! I was close! So close! It was almost perfect! We would've all died together, passing quietly from one life to the next! And yet now…!
The Game would keep on going, the wheels would keep on turning, the students would keep on dying, the Despair and Ugliness would keep on spreading. Alas, alas…
But there was still no loss for Noa either way. Retrospectively, there were only two outcomes to the trial. She won, and became the sole survivor of the Killing Game. She lost, and was executed while her much worthier classmates got to live on for at least one more Stage. The latter outcome was the hand fate dealt to Noa, and now she would die a martyr to her Kawaii cause. No matter what, she was going to die a winner.
Most importantly of all, it ultimately boiled down to the eternal, cosmic struggle between Kawaii and Kowai. That was Noa's ultimate motive, after all, her entire existence, her life purpose and meaning, her everything and only thing. She was a girl so infatuated with cute and nerdy things that nothing else mattered. Nothing. Not even life, death, or morality. She would've done anything—including die and kill—to uphold her belief system, her ultimate creed. It was Photon's fatal flaw, their passion, but as one of their songs always encouraged:
We'll make a sound no one has ever heard, like the birth of distant stars.
And Noa fancied herself quite a shining star indeed, and every bright star needed an even brighter nova, a supernova. "Well, Monochio? Shall we give the audience at home what it has so desperately anticipated this entire Stage?" she asked.
The others cried out in disbelief, not for Noa's sake, but that she would look so excited at the thought of her own impending execution.
"W-wait! You can't be serious about that!" Towa was the loudest protestor of all, burying her hands in her hair as her eyes widened in horror. She was also perhaps the only one genuinely concerned for Noa. For a moment, Noa's gaze turned genuinely sympathetic, but she said nothing.
"Ok. Very well. As you wish." The PheFos lit up and switched to the voting screen. The decision was unanimous. Noa smiled. Perfect. She'd fulfilled her motive either way. She'd won either way, despite Monochio's best efforts. It cheated, she cheated, it was all fair in the end, and she was the winner! She got to die knowing she'd united the entire class! How could she possibly be upset when she had a big achievement under her belt? She was victim, villain, and victor, ever the starring role. There was no finer legacy for the Ultimate Theater Actress!
No matter how agonizing her execution was, Noa was already in paradise. Her spiraling eyes showed just how far gone she was. She gave an unhinged cackle. It was time for the encore! The final bow! The curtain call! The last show!
A Blackened is supposed to be CRAZY, so that's what I'm gonna be! The show MUST go on!