Arc 6: The Purpose Behind Thoughts and Fiction
Deadly Life
Rin Wakuri was dead. That was an undeniable fact.
Malice drenched the scene where his body had been discovered. Why else would his corpse be so terribly desecrated like this if not for the killer's incredible hatred? And now Shuichi and the others were forced to take it in as they tried to process the death of their dear friend.
Shuichi's heart was thumping like a snare drum as he stared dumbly at the body in front of him. He couldn't move or speak. He couldn't even tear his eyes away from the terrifyingly gruesome sight. He was frozen stiff in fear and disbelief.
How…? How could this have happened? Who could have even done this?
Shuichi could find no immediate answer to those thoughts as he stared at the bloodied body. The others were much of the same way. They were staring silently at the horrid scene as well.
And then…someone finally moved.
Kirumi took a step, and then she took another. She slowly moved toward the body before she was eventually right in front of it. Once she was right in front of the body, she fell to her knees as she reached out slowly, desperation clear in her usually stoic expression.
"...Please, tell me this isn't real. Please tell me this is just another trick. Another plan of yours. Please…" Kirumi whispered as she reached out slowly and cupped RIn's cheek. Her breath hitched immediately when she did.
Rin was not breathing.
Still denying what was clearly in front of her, Kirumi pressed two fingers on Rin's neck.
No pulse.
"This isn't funny Rin!" Kirumi frantically muttered as she pulled her gloves off and pressed her hand against Rin once again. Her despair multiplied tenfold when she did.
His skin was cold with the feeling of death. Warm flesh was now cold and dead.
"This is not happening. I…refuse to believe it." Kirumi muttered as she shakily pulled her hand away. "You…cannot be dead…! Not after everything you've done here! It…It…It can't end like this! I…! I'm not strong enough yet! I-I…I can't–!" The maid cried out as she slammed a fist into the ground in frustation, tears being to gather within her eyes as she held back tears. She could not, however, hold back her pain as she let out a despairing scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Then…he's really…" Kaede spoke in a weak whisper before she dropped to her knees. She tears freely fell from her face, but she was not crying out like Kirumi. She was just staring, unable to react any differently. She hardly had the strength to.
"N-No! I-I-It's just another trick, right?!" Tenko asked as her eyes jumped between the body and the others. "I-I-I mean, Rin's escaped death so many times before now! He's tricked us all and survived so much! This…must be another trick he made, right?"
"No. I don't think so. Not this time." Rantaro muttered as his expression showed deep confusion at the sight he was witnessing. "I don't think he could have faked something like this. Not this time."
"B-But…It's Rin! He can't be dead! The game was over! Why would anyone kill him!?" Tenko screamed angrily as her eyes began to water a little.
"...Now that, I have no idea," Rantaro admitted as he clenched his teeth. "I have no fucking clue what's going on anymore." He then aimed a suspicious glare at the usual suspect. "Got anything to say, Kokichi? You were supposed to meet Rin here in my lab, weren't you?"
"..." Kokichi didn't say anything at first. He only stood still as a board, his face obscured by shadows. And then, he opened his mouth, and the expected response came out. "Nee-heehee…Nee-heehee…!"
"K-Kokichi?" Tenko gasped before Kokichi tilted his head back.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He screamed out his malicious laughter as a showed off a leer of pure contempt. "What an IDIOT! How could he die even after the killing game ended!? He must have done something REEEEEEEEALLY stupid for this to happen!"
"Kokichi, don't you dare–!" Kaede nearly snapped once she heard Kokichi start talking, snapping her head over with a rage-filled glare before Kokichi cut her off to continue.
"Do you guys actually care about this fool!? STUUUUUUUPID! Are you guys actually braindead?!" Kokichi shouted with a manic expression as he screamed at the others. "Why should any of us care about that stupid Rin!? Even after everything he's done to you all!? After all the awful things he said about you guys?! He HATED us, so why should we give a shit whether he's dead now?! If anything, this just livens up the game once again! Good! Things were starting to get dull anyway, so I much rather an event like this happening! Let's play this game to the fullest, you guys!"
There was only silence once Kokichi had finished. Everyone was just staring at him in silence as he took a few breaths after his rant.
"What's wrong? Shouldn't you all not be surprised by this? I'm the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil! This is just a simple taste of my cruelty." Kokichi smirked.
"N-No…that's not it," Kaede muttered as she blinked a few times in confusion and shock.
"Kokichi…you're…" Shuichi began.
"You're crying." Kirumi gasped softly.
Kokichi froze in utter shock before his hand shot up to touch his face. He felt an unfamilar wetness trailing down his cheeks. He began to tremble once he realized his mask had cracked and he had no time to put it back on. It was shattering before his eyes.
"N-No! This isn't–! I'm not–! I WOULDN'T CRY FOR SOMEONE LIKE RIN!" Kokichi screamed.
The others didn't immediately reply to that, unsure as to what to say in the face of the first potential showing of genuine emotion from Kokichi. And then, someone unexpected began to move toward the Supreme Leader.
"Kokichi…" Tenko began as she placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch at the touch. "I…I'm sorry. I'm going to miss him too. We all will."
"N-No…I-I…I-I-I…!"
"It's okay. I get it. I didn't know how to respond when Himiko was gone, either. So just this once, you don't have to hide it. It's okay to show a single moment of weakness." Tenko then closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Kokichi and brought him into a hug, something that shocked Kokichi more than anyone else. "I think I finally get it. You and your lies. So just this once, I'll give you this one act of kindness, even if you don't want it."
Kokichi's eyes widened a little, and at that moment he let his head fall into Tenko's shoulder to hide the new tears that were now forming in his eyes.
"Sh-Shut up…I don't want your pity." Kokichi tried to argue and push her away, but he couldn't muster the strength to.
"I know," Tenko said as sorrow revealed itself onto her face. "It's not fair, is it?"
"...No. It's not…!" Kokichi whispered as his body trembled again. "First that stupid bimbo died after I asked her to help me, and then stupid Gonta got himself killed saving me, and now this." He muttered in frustration. "Liar…He lied to me! He told me he would give me an answer today! I trusted him! I thought, maybe, just this once, it wasn't a bad thing. But of course I was wrong, because he fucking lied to me!" He sobbed.
It at this point the reality of it all really sank into everyone's heads. Rin was really, truly gone this time. There was no trick. There was no last-minute gambit. No lie he or Kokichi created. He was gone, just like everyone else who had fallen to the killing game. The unbelievable had happened, and all of them were at a lost now. No mask of apparent strength could stop them from the utter shock and pain of that.
For the first time, the others got to see a part of the real Kokichi and the pain he tried to hide behind his lies, and in their understanding of that, it only made that pain more real.
"How could this have happened? Why did this have to happen?" Shuichi muttered as he returned his eyes to Rin's fallen, motionless body.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Kirumi growled as she got up from where she had been kneeling. "It was Monokuma and the mastermind. Rin and Kokichi had ended the game, so they tried to start it up again by killing one of the thorns in their side!"
"Is…that really true?" Kaede asked as her eyes twitched in aggrivation. "Did they do this just for that!? They would bend the rules that much now that we had finally escaped their hold!?"
"Of course they would. All they care about is our suffering!" Kirumi hissed with pure malice.
"In that case, then we have to ask…" Rantaro began as he turned to the others. "Where is Keebo?"
"Eh?" Tenko gasped as she finally let go of Kokichi and looked around. "You're right, he isn't here!"
"Strange. He should have arrived shortly after the body discovery announcement like the rest of us, right?" Kaede asked before she gasped. "You don't think he's also–!"
"Heeeeeeeeeeelloooooooo everybody!"
Interrupting Kaede was Monokuma, he burst into the room with more enthusiasm than he had ever shown them.
"Lovely day to play a killing game, isn't it?" He cheerfully asked.
"Y-You–! You can't possibly think that we'll obey you and play this game again, do you?" Tenko told him angrily.
"Of course you'll obey me and play the game. You don't have any choice in the matter!" Monokuma told them with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Kokichi asked after he rubbed his red eyes and began to glare at the bear. "You don't have the Exisals on your side anymore. They're under my control, idiot."
"Are they now? Then how do you explain this?" He asked before snapping his paws.
And on his queue, all five of the Exisals burst into the room and stood behind him at the ready.
"Wh-What!?" Kokichi shouted before he pulled out his controller and clicked one of the buttons. When that didn't do anything, he proceeded to click all of the buttons, but they all proved to be useless. "What's going on!?"
"It's simple, really. While you guys were having your pow-wow and cry fest here, I took the time to get rid of those wireless nodes you put on the Exisals to control them, so you don't have any of their power on your side anymore."
"But then how are they still moving!? Only Kokichi's controller could control the Exisals!" Shuichi shouted.
"No, that's not true at all! The Exisals just need pilots to move again." Monokuma corrected.
"Pilots? But who–" Kaede began to ask, but that's when the hatches of the Exisals all opened up, revealing the very familiar pilots.
"Rise and shine, Ursine!" The Monokubs cried out when they revealed themselves.
"Th-The Monokubs!?" Tenko exclaimed. "I thought they were all dead!"
"They were, but I decided to rebuild them so I could get my bodyguards and enforcers back! So there!" Monokuma laughed as he held his stomach proudly.
"Then why are they still working for you? You let them all die, and Monodam even rebelled against you." Rantaro pointed out.
"That's true. That's why I wiped their memories and system reset them before deleting any of their old personalities that remained! Now they're just loyal soldiers for me to use! Besides, they were really annoying, weren't they? Lord knows that writing their lines was really boring, and they weren't even supposed to be brought back initially, but hey, they're needed for this final showdown, so I obliged and brought them back, so who cares?" Monokuma shrugged.
"Why you…!" Tenko growled as she tightened her fists.
"Now now, don't be like that. Wouldn't want to end up like Mister Wakuri here, now would you?" Monokuma asked as he walked over to the body before scoffing. "Major pain in the ass. His talent was the Ultimate Fuckup as far as I'm concerned. You hear that, Mister Wakuri? You're much better off like this!" The bear screamed as he kicked the corpse a few times angrily.
"Stop it! You have no right to harm him now!" Kaede shouted furiously.
"You're right. I apologize, I seemed to have lost myself for a moment. Mister Wakuri did do me a favor with dying like this, after all, whether he intended for that or not. I should show him a bit of gratitude." Monokuma let out a breath and walked away from the body before turning back to the other students. "Anyway, you know what time it is now, right? That's right! Time for the Monokuma file! Don't worry. I got a clear view of the crime this time around, so the Monokuma file will be much more helpful than that last case. Oh, I'm so excited! Now this is a 5th case!"
"Shouldn't this be the 6th?" Kokichi snarled.
"The last one doesn't count, obviously. No one died then, so this is pretty much the real 5th case of this game." Monokuma smiled. "Now, I hope you're thankful for my help and get to work! You better investigate properly for the trial~!"
"Hang on. Before you go, do you know where Keebo is?" Shuichi asked, causing Monokuma to frown a bit.
"Eh?" He muttered as he looked around the room. "He isn't here? I thought he went to go gather you bastards here?"
"Huh? Gather us here?" Shuichi repeated.
"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. I'll go looking for him and make sure he at least shows up for the trial, so just focus on your investigation." Monokuma told them. "Oh, by the way, I wanna give you all your 'reward' for working so hard last time."
"We don't want it! Whatever it is will only be bad for us since it came from YOU!" Tenk shouted.
"About that, actually… I dunno where you all got the idea that this killing game can be stopped. Did Mister Wakuri's naive words convince you of that or something?" Monokuma asked with a scowl. "Well forget it. There's nothing a participant can do to end this killing game, and there sure as hell isn't anyone outside to save you either! No way! Nuh-uh! This game is gonna keep going and going for a long time!"
As he ranted, Monokuma took something out that surprised the students.
"Huh? A flashback light?!" Shuichi exclaimed.
And without waiting or hesitating at all, Monokuma aimed the light at the others and turned it on, causing a large flash to engulf them.
"Urgh…Gah…" Shuichi groaned as he rubbed his eyes.
"Wh-What was that? That wasn't a normal Flashback Light." Kaede muttered.
"Y-Yeah. I didn't remember anything…" Tenko added.
"What was with that Flashback Light? What did you just do?" Kirumi asked with a glare.
"Puhuhu… This Flashback Light has a special effect. You'll remember soon… " Monokuma explained. "You'll remember that despair is the only choice you have, and that hope doesn't exist here at all! Ah-hahahahaha! The killing game will never end!"
Monokuma then cleared his throat before flashing the students another cheery smile.
"Anyway, I'll be off now. Be mindful to not break any more rules since I have the Exisals on my side again, and unlike before, none of the Monokubs will be switching sides. Have fun investigating!"
With that, the monochrome bear left with glee and pep in his step as the Exisals wordlessly followed him. The remaining students were left to grimace at what they were told. The status quo had returned. They were once again forced to play this miserable game. They no longer had a choice in the matter.
"...Fine then. If that's how he wants to play it, I'm game." Kokichi growled angrily. "If the killing game really is continuing, then that means the culprit is one of us, huh? Alright then. I always liked playing on Mean difficulty anyway."
"Kokichi–" Kirumi tried to speak, but Kokichi spun around and gave a vengeful glare at her.
"Shut up. The culprit is one of you, so I'm not going to listen to anything you guys have to say. I'm going to solve this crime myself." With that, Kokichi stomped off to begin his investigation.
"He's right. We should hurry up and investigate. Who knows when Monokuma will force us to the trial grounds. I'm sure his patience is worse than before with everything that's happened. I bet he's more than willing to kill us all off if we try to defy him." Rantaro frowned before sighing. "And Kokichi does have a point. The most likely suspects are one of us, so we should prepare for what happens next."
"You really think one of us did this?" Kaede asked.
"What else can we believe?" Rantaro sighed. "You guys can leave if you want, but I want to live considering I made it this far somehow, and after this, I really don't know who I should trust." Rantaro left and began his own investigation after that, causing Shuichi to sigh.
"Rantaro and Kokichi are right. We can't dally on this any longer."
"Then…let us begin." Kirumi nodded slowly.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Tenko asked the maid, to which Kirumi shook her head.
"It hardly matters. Not when all our lives are on the line. Besides…I want to know the truth as well, so I will do what is necessary."
"I do too. I'm going to give it my all this time. I won't let whoever did this get the last laugh!" Kaede exclaimed confidently, fire burning in her eyes as she spoke.
"Right… We won't stand idly by and let the culprit get away with this." Shuichi nodded as he clenched his fist.
That's right. He and the others would find the truth. For themselves…and for Rin.
That was the least they could do for him now.
Investigation Start
"The first thing we should do is read the Monokuma File," Shuichi stated.
"Hopefully it really will be more helpful than last time," Kaede grumbled as they all turned on the tablets and read the file.
"The victim is Rin Wakuri. The body was discovered in the Ultimate Survivor's Research Lab. The estimated time of death is around midnight. The victim's body has been stabbed with numerous swords in the torso and body, totally a number of thirteen stab wounds across the entire body with the blades pinning the victim to the wall his body is leaning against. The victim also has been stabbed in both eyes with small daggers, and his mouth has been stapled shut. Lastly, the victim's hands have been severed at the wrist and are missing."
Truth Bullet Obtained: Monokuma File 6
"How awful…" Tenko grimaced as she read all of the things done to Rin's body.
"His hands…?" Kaede mumbled before she took another look at the body. "It's right. I didn't notice before because of all the swords stabbing him, but his hands are gone!"
"By why? What purpose did the culprit have for slicing his hands off?" Kirumi questioned with a deep frown.
"Not only that, but there's another thing about this Monokuma File," Shuichi noted. "The Cause of Death isn't mentioned again."
"Just like with Angie, Ryoma, and Kaito," Kaede said.
"Then that means the key to solving this cause is figuring out what actually killed Rin?" Tenko asked.
"Most likely. It would certainly explain the over abundance of swords used in the murder." Kirumi pointed out.
"Then if he wasn't stabbed to death, what actually killed him?" Kaede asked.
"Only one way to find out. Let's get started." Shuichi told them.
"Right! You can count on me!" Tenko shouted as she went to investigate the room.
"I will also be off for my investigation. I wish you the best of luck." Kirumi told them as she left.
"If that's the case, then…do you want to investigate together, Shuichi?" Kaede asked. "I know we should probably do our own investigations, but…I think it would be better to work together this time around."
"Are you sure? As far as you know, I could be the culprit." Shuichi pointed out.
"I don't think so. This case…feels different somehow." Kaede frowned. "And I refuse to believe any of us could have done this to Rin." She then gritted her teeth with anger. "I swear I will find who did this and make them pay!"
Shuichi couldn't help but be a little surprised at Kaede's resolve, but he found himself smiling after a moment.
"Then let's check out the body first."
"Right!"
The two quickly moved over to the body and began to examine it, much to their chagrin.
"It's so cruel, doing this to a body." Kaede frowned as she stared at the numerous swords pinning Rin's corpse to the wall.
"Hmm…the pool of blood Rin's sitting in doesn't seem disturbed, and considering he's been pinned to the wall, I don't think he was moved after having been pinned here," Shuichi noted.
"So you think that he died here?"
"He was at least stabbed with the swords here," Shuichi answered. "There's no blood trail showing that he was injured before being stabbed to the wall."
"Then the culprit must have cut off his hands here, too," Kaede added. "They probably did it with one of those swords before stabbing his body with it." Kaede then paused before turning back to Shuichi. "If he wasn't stabbed to death, do you think he was already dead when he was stabbed?"
"Perhaps…" Shuichi hummed before he turned his gaze to Rin's head. "Still, why did the culprit stab both of Rin's eyes? And what reason did they have for stabling his mouth shut?"
"Was it…some kind of torture?" Kaede suggested.
"Possibly, but something about this still bothers me. Why would they torture him like this? He would have died soon after the first sword was stabbed into him, let alone all of them. Plus the daggers to the eyes and stabling his mouth shut? It seems excessive for torture." Shuichi frowned. "And what reason would there be in torturing him? It couldn't have been to gain information from him. The culprit stabled his mouth shut. If it was torture, the culprit would have been sure to not mortally wound Rin before they got what they wanted, or at least before they were satisfied with whatever vengeance this would give them."
"I guess. Still, you're right about it being excessive…" Kaede grimaced.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Rin's Body
"There's something else strange here." Shuichi pointed out. "Rin's jacket. Why is it white now? He usually wears a purple jacket."
"Hmm… The jacket seems a bit splotchy in some areas. Maybe it was dunked in bleach?" Kaede guessed in an uncertain voice. "But why would the culprit do that?"
"It might not have been the culprit. Rin might have done it himself." Shuichi pointed out.
"No, that can't be right." Kaede shook her head. "After all, I saw Rin last night, and he was wearing his normal purple jacket."
"Huh? You saw Rin?"
"Y-Yeah. I lost track of time when I was clearing my head playing piano yesterday, and I didn't stop until it was already nighttime. As I was walking back, I saw Rin heading up the stairs for some reason. "
"Heading up the stairs? Was he headed to Rantaro's lab then?" Shuichi pondered. "What time did you see Rin?"
"I'm not sure. I think…it was around midnight?" Kaede said. "I wasn't really paying any attention, if I'm honest. I was kinda tired, and something else caught my eye."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, for some reason, Rin was dragging a big crate behind him." Kaede frowned.
"A big crate?"
"Yeah. It was a little bigger than most suitcases and was black. I'm not sure why he had it or where he got it from, though. I thought it might have come from the warehouse." Kaede said.
"I don't think I've seen any crates like that in the warehouse…" Shuichi muttered. "Why didn't you stop and ask him? Didn't you think that was strange?"
"W-Well yeah, but it was late and I was tired. Besides, I didn't think anything was going to happen." Kaede argued before a pained look came to her face. "I shouldn't have let that stop me. I should have talked to him. Maybe I could have prevented this…"
"No…If it was Rin, he might have been stubborn with whatever he was doing and not stopped for you." Shuichi sighed. "You shouldn't blame yourself for this. The only person at fault is whoever did this."
"Right…" Kaede replied with a frown.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Kaede's Account
"Let's look around the lab. Perhaps the culprit left some clues." Kaede suggested.
"Right." Shuichi nodded as he and Kaede began looking around the lab. It didn't take long for one of them to find something. "Hey, Kaede. Check this out."
"Hmm?" Kaede rushed over to Shuichi's side and leaned over to see what he was holding. "Is that a piece of broken glass?"
"Yeah. I found it on the ground in between some of the vines set up here for decoration." Shuichi explained. "It has a bit of blood on it too."
"Be careful with it," Kaede warned as Shuichi began moving it with his fingers to get a better look at it. "So where do you think it came from?"
"Not sure, but it looks familiar," Shuichi muttered.
"If I may?" Kirumi said as she approached the two.
"Kirumi? Do you recognize this?" Kaede asked.
"Yes. May I?"
"Of course," Shuichi said as he carefully handed the shard to the maid, who held it in her gloved hand as she brought it up closer.
"Yes, I do believe I am correct. This is the same glass the bottles of poison within Shuichi's lab are held within." Kirumi stated.
"Poison? Again? That's the third time now." Kaede grimaced.
"But if it is poison, then we need to figure out what kind it is," Shuichi muttered.
"Thankfully, I can see part of the tag here. It's just covered in a bit of blood." Kirumi said before she took out a small handkerchief and wiped the fragment a little. "Let's see… Ah, I remember seeing this before I picked out the Strike-9 Poison."
"What can you tell us about it?" Shuichi asked.
"While I cannot remember its full name, I do remember it is a highly lethal poison that kills in seconds should it enter any part of the body in any way." Kirumi had a deep frown as she spoke. "It kills by asphyxiation much like Strike-9, however, it is far more potent as it is a higher concentration of toxic substances. Should it enter the body, the victim's eyes will become bloodshot and start to choke on the blood they spit up and their swelling throat."
"That doesn't sound pleasant at all," Kaede noted nervously.
"No, it does not. Thankfully, the poison has a stipulation. Once it is exposed to fresh air, it starts to oxidize immediately, rendering it harmless after 30 minutes." Kirumi added.
"Rendering it harmless? So it would have been useless thirty minutes after the bottle was opened for the first time." Shuichi hummed.
"Taking all of that into account, I think we know what our cause of death is." Kaede nodded to herself. "It's gotta be this poison, right? I mean, the culprit tried to hide and destroy evidence pointing to this poison, so it's gotta be it."
"It would explain why the culprit stabbed Rin's eyes with those daggers," Shuichi admitted.
"Perhaps the culprit attempted to destroy the evidence but missed a piece of the bottle. That would explain why you found it in those vines." Kirumi noted.
"..." Shuichi remained silent as he thought about it more. Why was this bothering him so much?
Truth Bullet Obtained: Poison
"...If only we could make sure," Shuichi mumbled.
"Huh? Oh, you mean checking if Rin really was poisoned?" Kaede asked. "That's true. With the state his body's in, it'll be hard to check to make sure he really was poisoned."
"Then I shall focus my own investigation on the matter then," Kirumi told them.
"Huh? How so?" Kaede tilted her head when the maid spoke up.
"The poison kills by asphyxiation caused by swelling and blood clots forming in the throat. All I have to do is check the victim's esophagus to see if that is what happened." Kirumi explained.
"B-But Rin's mouth is stabled shut. It'll be hard to remove them, and if you did, you might damage the body in some way." Shuichi pointed out.
"Do not concern yourself with that. I will make sure I remove those stables with the utmost care. It wouldn't do if the victim's body was damaged during the investigation." Kirumi stated in a detached voice.
Shuichi couldn't help but frown at that, but he couldn't waste any time at the moment. He would just have to trust her.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you. Let us know if you find anything."
"Of course. I am the Ultimate Maid. I fulfill duties to absolute completion." Kirumi stated as she walked back over to the corpse.
"I hope she's alright…" Kaede frowned.
"So do I, but that's probably the last thing she is right now." Shuichi clenched his teeth. "I doubt any of us are really fine, either."
"...Yeah," Kaede muttered before turning back to Shuichi. "Let's get back to investigating."
"Right. What else should we look for?"
"I think we should talk to the others. I want to know what happened when the body was discovered." Kaede answered quickly. "I don't want a repeat of Maki's trial happening, so let's make sure we know who discovered the body this time."
"Good idea," Shuichi said as they walked over to Tenko, who was digging through some of the black boxes that were stacked up in the corner of the room. "Tenko? Can we ask you some questions?"
"Sure! Hang on." Tenko gave a weak smile as she tried to make her voice sound cheerful. She set the opened box down as she turned back around to Shuichi and Kaede. "What do you need?"
"Well…I was wondering if you were one of the people who discovered Rin's body." Shuichi asked.
"O-Oh…Then no. I wasn't. I was busy with something else at the time." Tenko replied.
"What were you doing then, if you don't mind me asking," Kaede said.
"About that…I did notice something strange." Tenko hummed as she put a finger to her chin.
"Something strange?"
"Well…I was down near the gym. I usually do some warm-up exercises in the gym or my lab depending on how I feel in the morning, but I went there early since I wasn't feeling up for breakfast yet. When I was done, I was going to head over to get something to eat, but I couldn't help but stop by Himiko's lab. With everything that's happened, I just…I don't know. It was stupid, really, but I couldn't help it."
"Tenko…"
"But when I entered the lab, I noticed something that wasn't there before. A bouquet of flowers." Tenko revealed.
"Flowers?" Shuichi questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"That's right! I thought it was strange too! So I went over to look at them. They were these pink and white flowers set in a bouquet resting on one of the tables in the lab."
"Pink and white flowers?" Rantaro suddenly cut into the conversation. "Sorry, but could you describe what kind of flowers they were? Aside from color, I mean."
"Well…the pink ones sorta looked like those Loofahs people use while they shower, and the white ones had a lot of small white petals sticking out everywhere. I don't really know how else to describe them." Tenko explained as best she could. Rantaro hummed a little before seemingly coming to a conclusion.
"Carnations and Chrysanthemums…" Rantaro muttered.
"You know those flowers, Rantaro?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah. I got to learn a lot of neat little things during my travels as the Ultimate Adventurer." Rantaro nodded. "That includes a little bit about flowers since one of my sisters was interested in that stuff."
"Then what do you think that bouquet means?" Kaede questioned.
"Exactly what you might think when you find a bouquet of flowers in the room built for a deceased person," Rantaro answered. "Carnations and Chrysanthemums are widely used for funerals and other such things. Pink Carnations specifically are connected to things like gratitude, thanks, devotion, innocence, purity, and remembrance. Meanwhile, white Chrysanthemums are widely used to symbolize adversity, lamentation, and grief in most Asian countries, while in others they represent honesty."
"Strange. Who left it in Himiko's lab, I wonder?" Shuichi pondered as he put a hand to his chin.
"It wasn't any of you guys, right?" Tenko asked.
"No. I don't even know anything about flowers." Kaede frowned.
"Same here," Shuichi added.
"Where would any of us get flowers here, anyway? I haven't seen any as far as I can remember." Rantaro hummed. "Either way, I don't think it's important, at least not at the moment. Was there anything else that was added in Himiko's lab, Tenko?"
"Well, the flowers came with a note, too. It wasn't signed, but it seemed whoever wrote it left it as a kind of message for Himiko. Something like a statement of remembrance or something." Tenko explained.
"Another sign of mourning. It's like something someone would leave at a grave." Kaede noted. "Actually, considering it was found in Himiko's lab, maybe that was the intention. There isn't any other place that could act like a grave would for mourning the dead."
"I suppose…" Shuichi then paused as a thought hit him. "If that's the case, do you think there are more in the other labs belonging to the people who've died?"
"It's possible. But even if that's true, should we waste time looking for those bouquets? We should focus on the murder, shouldn't we?" Rantaro asked.
"Yeah, I agree. We can worry about that if it becomes relevant to the case." Kaede agreed. "Speaking of which, where were you when the body was discovered, Rantaro?"
"Me?" Rantaro repeated before turning away and rubbing his neck. "Well…I discovered the body."
"Wait, you were one of the people who found Rin like this?" Tenko exclaimed.
"Yep. It was actually me and Kokichi, I guessed." Rantaro revealed. "He entered my lab first, and when I chased after him, we saw the body and the announcement went off."
"That's only two people…so who was the first…?" Shuichi muttered before shaking his head. "Why were you and Kokichi up here in the first place?"
"About that…I'm not quite sure myself, but it seemed Kokichi was supposed to meet Rin in my lab for something." Rantaro explained.
"He was going to meet up with Rin?" Kaede frowned.
"Yeah. I overheard them talking about it and decided to see what they were up to. I cut off Kokichi as he was making his way there to question him, but he started running away, so I chased after him. He made it to my lab first, but I was pretty much right behind him. Once I entered the room, I saw him standing there staring at the body. He seemed pretty shocked about it, but you never know with him."
"I don't know… After how he just was, I think this is really getting to him." Tenko said. "I think that was real emotion from him."
"I don't know about that. Kokichi doesn't exactly strike me as the type to shed real tears." Rantaro grumbled as he ran a hand through his lime hair.
"So what were they going to talk about?" Shuichi asked.
"They were going to talk about what they were going to do next since the game had, well, 'ended'," Rantaro said while using quotation marks. "They were going to go over what they knew before coming up with a plan to take out the mastermind and truly end the game for good. Guess that fell through, considering one of them is dead now."
"I wonder what they were planning. Do you think they could have found a way to escape?" Tenko asked.
"I doubt it. If we haven't found an exit yet, it probably doesn't exist. This place is a huge prison. The only way out is probably only accessible out of this place." Rantaro grimaced.
Truth Bullet Obtained: Kokichi and Rin Meet-up
"You really think that? What happened to wanting us to work together and fight like before?" Tenko asked.
"I know we're supposed to have hope or whatever, but I think mine is as good as dead right now, so sorry if you guys still think escape is possible or that we can end the killing game. I think this entire case proves well enough we can't stop any of this. We have no choice in the matter."
"Even so, I refuse to let this be like this. I won't let it end here." Kaede declared. "There has to be something we can do!"
"As things stand, though, what can we do?" Shuichi asked. "With the Exisals back in Monokuma's control, there's very little any of us can do."
"If only there was something we could use. An advantage or…something we could use against Monokuma and the real Mastermind!" Kaede shouted.
"But there isn't. That's just how it is, unfortunately." Rantaro grumbled. "God, how did I manage to survive this the first time around? I wish I could remember that first game. It might have been useful."
"Can't do anything about it now," Tenko shouted as she tried to cheer the others up. "Let's just keep going. I'm sure we'll manage to figure it out. If we have to investigate this crime and play this game, then we'll just use that as our advantage! There's gotta be a weak point somewhere!"
"But where? We've done this so many times now. We should have seen it by now, right?" Kaede asked.
"You guys should just accept that we're in a hopeless situation." Rantaro began as he shook his head. "At this point, I think the only way we're getting out is either through death or if someone manages to destroy this place. Maybe if we had a way to blow a hole through that End Wall, we'd be able to truly end things."
"But we don't have anything like that. This place is practically indestructible." Shuichi sighed.
And just then, as if the universe wanted to prove the detective wrong, the entire building shook as there was a huge explosion outside.
"Aaaahh!" Kaede shouted as she nearly fell over, only to be caught by Shuichi, who managed to stay steady despite the quaking.
"Wh-What's going on!? What happened!?" The detective shouted.
"I don't know! What was that!?" Tenko screamed.
"It sounded like an explosion!" Rantaro exclaimed. "But why–?"
BOOOOOM!
"Woah!" Rantaro shouted as the building shook again, and not a second later, there was a third explosion. And then a fourth. And then a fifth.
Soon, explosions were heard all around them as the entire academy quaked.
"W-What is this!?" Kirumi shouted as she held herself steady by leaning against the wall. "Is the entire building falling apart around us now!?"
"Guy?" Kokichi, who had run out of the room after the first explosion, burst back into the room with wide eyes. "You might want to come and see this!"
Not even waiting to question him, the others dropped what they were doing and followed Kokichi to the large stained-glass window. It had been repaired after Maki's case, but it seemed Kokichi broke it once again to see what was happening outside the academy, and once the others caught sight of what was causing the explosions, their jaws all collectively dropped.
"We need to get out right now!" Shuichi shouted as he raced down to the ground level.
"R-Right!" Kaede nodded as she and the others followed right behind him.
"Seriously, how come he waited until now to show this stuff off? This is awesome!" Kokichi exclaimed happily.
"Don't sound so happy about this! He's going to bury us under this entire building at this rate!" Tenko screamed.
"Why would he even go on a rampage like this in the first place?" Kirumi asked.
"No clue, but one thing is for certain," Rantaro muttered. "I think I know where Keebo was this whole time."
When he first woke up, an immediate thought formed in his mind.
"It's quiet…" Keebo noted.
For the first time in a long time, since he woke up in the Ultimate Academy, it was quiet.
"Quiet…" He repeated as he stared at his lab's ceiling. "Too quiet… And yet, this silence is quite refreshing."
After soaking the newfound silence in, Keebo slowly got up. He felt…different. He didn't know how to describe it. He moved his arms around before standing back up, hopping off the maintenance table he had been sleeping on. After moving around, he determined nothing about his body had changed. His arms and legs still moved the same, and nothing on his body seemed to be missing.
So then why was there this new silence? Why did he feel different and refreshed?
That's when Keebo finally noticed it. On the ground beside him, there was something odd. The first thing was some tools that looked like they were meant to break metal like chain cutters, but most of them were damaged or broken. The second thing was something that should have been attached to his head.
"My antenna?" Keebo repeated as he bent down and picked the broken-off ahoge up. "But…why…?"
That's when it all came back to him. The last thing he remembered was Rin shutting him off by pressing his force sleep button.
"So Rin did this?" Keebo muttered. "For what purpose?"
As if to answer his question, he turned and saw a note on the table beside where he had been sleeping. Walking over to it, Keebo picked it up and examined it.
"'Come to the Ultimate Survivor's Research Lab once you wake up. You'll figure out the rest once you get there, I'm sure.'" Keebo read. "It's in Rin's handwriting, so it most likely was left by him. But why does he want me to go to Rantaro's lab?"
For a moment, Keebo wanted to ask his inner voice what he should do, but that's when he froze as a new realization hit him. It was quiet because his inner voice was no longer there.
That meant…he was free to choose what he should do. There would be no voice to guide him, or to advise him, or to push him in a certain direction. All there would be was him and what he wanted.
"...If that's the case." Keebo began with a new, enlightened expression as he started to leave his lab. "I better not keep Rin waiting."
And so, Keebo began to make his way up to the 5th floor to meet up with Rin. Keebo couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to meet up in Rantaro's lab, but more than that, Keebo wanted to know why Rin took him off guard and shut him off just to break off his antenna. Keebo always knew he had it. The Professor had made it so he could tune into radio channels and listen to music. It was part of the reason he wanted to try becoming a singer, though it seemed he had no talent for it.
That's when a thought hit Keebo as he was near the lab.
Perhaps the loss of his antenna is related to the inner voice that had now vanished from his mind. They did seem to happen in succession. Does that mean the inner voice was a kind of signal or radio wave?
"...Rin probably knows if he broke it off," Keebo muttered. "Once I see him, I will get my answers."
That's what the robot thought at least, but the moment he entered the room, he realized he wouldn't get anything from Rin anymore.
He couldn't ask a dead man for answers.
"Rin…" Keebo stared at Rin's body for a good few moments, taking in the horrid sight of his friend's body stabbed all over and pinned to the wall. It was then Keebo felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Anger.
Despite being a robot, Keebo was capable of feeling emotions, or at least equivalents of them. It was part of the reason he was the Ultimate Robot. However, he hadn't felt true anger since waking up in the academy. In fact, he couldn't remember ever feeling this amount of rage before. He had always felt sorrow and pain at seeing the bodies of his friends in this hellish place, but never pure anger like this.
It was a fiery anger, one of vengeance and righteous fury. Someone had to pay for this. Someone had to do something about this. This was the last straw. Suddenly, Keebo found himself remembering every death that had happened so far, and that only fueled his anger more and more. The pain and sorrow he had felt before returned, and they quickly added to the burning rage Keebo felt for the killing game.
He may be a robot, but it pained him to go through this loss and grief just like anyone else. His heart was torn apart whenever they found a body, and he would have fallen and cried for them if he was physically capable of it.
And just like the others, he had a limit. One he hadn't realized that he had reached a long ago. For some reason, he never realized just how done he was with the killing game. He hadn't realized just how much he loathed it and what it put him and the others through.
Someone had to end it. Someone needed to destroy this killing game and ensure it never appeared again.
And that's when Keebo had an idea.
"So this is what you meant…" Keebo muttered as he looked at Rin's corpse. "I get it. I know what I have to do. What you want me to do."
Keebo began to walk off, a dark look in his eyes as he did. He made his way back to his lab and stared at all the parts that had remained untouched since the room was opened up. He had always had an inkling before when he came to this lab. How he should throw his reservations aside and actually do something with everything here to help the others, or at least let himself get upgraded to help with trials or preventing deaths.
And yet every time he had that thought, it went away just as quickly. He never wanted to be like that. He wanted to be as human as possible. He wasn't some science fiction mascot. He wasn't an experiment to be used like a weapon or tool. He was a person, and his inner voice agreed.
But the inner voice wasn't here anymore, and neither were his reservations. Keebo had had enough, and he no longer cared what happened to him.
It needed to end. He would end it.
And so, he installed everything he could find in his lab. Every weapon. Every upgrade. Everything. It took hours to get it all one and ready, but once it was finally done, Keebo only felt his resolve strengthen.
And so here he was, standing on top of his lab, staring out at the academy grounds. Keebo…No. K1-B0 stared at the vast grounds in which he laughed, grieved, suffered, and fought with the others. In truth, part of him would miss this place, just as he would miss everyone.
But there was too much evil here. Too much despair…
And evil and despair must be purged. This cannot be allowed to happen ever again. K1-B0 would rather die than let it happen again.
"I used to hear my inner voice with perfect clarity. It would fill me with the power of hope… Guide me along the right path…but now I can't hear it anymore. All I hear now…is silence. That silence means my will is now my own."
"So even if despair is all we have to choose…even if hope no longer exists…I will never give in to despair!" K1-B0 declared calmly before he opened his now glowing eyes. "I…I will end this. No matter what, I will force this to end. This school, this Ultimate Academy for gifted Juveniles, is steeped in despair, and grief, and sorrow…And I will destroy it. I will destroy it all."
And so, the jetpack he had on roared and he flew off into the sky, and once he had flown up high enough, he aimed the arm cannon he had equipped at the academy. The cannon glowed, and a moment later, a large, destructive laser shot out and hit the buildings, causing a massive explosion.
That's when K1-B0 really got to work. He sped off in the sky, rapidly firing upon the academy without a care. Explosions rang out everywhere as the buildings started to fall apart from the destruction he was causing.
Good. It's better this way anyway.
Although…it seems not everyone agrees with that.
"Keeeeeeeeboooooo! Come here!"
K1-B0 stopped in the air when he heard his name being called out. It sounded like Kaede. He looked down to the ground and saw the others in the center of the courtyard, all calling for him.
"What are you doing!? You're going to get us killed at this rate!" Tenko screamed angrily, worry visible in her tone as she looked up at the robot.
"Please, Keebo! Come down and talk to us!" Shuichi called out.
"Yeah, Keeboy! Hurry up and come down so we can get a good look at you! Since when were you a badass? This is what I wanted to see since the beginning!" Kokichi cheered.
K1-B0 sighed at Kokichi's statement, but he supposed he should at least hear them out. Unlike Rin, he still saw the others as close friends. He didn't want to hurt them or betray them, but this was the only thing left to do. He should at least explain that much to them.
And so the Ultimate Robot slowly descended, until he was face to face with the other Ultimate Students.
"You called for me?" K1-B0 asked once he was finally at ground level, though he was still hovering in the air a little. "Please keep it brief. I have other matters I must attend to."
"Other matters? You mean destroying the school?" Rantaro questioned in annoyance.
"Yes." The robot nodded coldly. "I'm going to end the killing game. I will truly destroy it."
"Truly destroy it?" Shuichi repeated.
"We had it wrong the entire time. To truly end the killing game…I must destroy it. I must destroy the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.
"But why? How would that end the killing game?" Tenko asked.
"The killing game cannot go on if I destroy this school in its entirety. It's as simple as that." K1-B0 answered simply.
"So that is why you are wielding that weapon then?" Kirumi asked as she gestured to the large cannon strapped to his arm. "You must have gotten them from your lab along with that jetpack, correct?"
"I think the better question is why his lab even had this sort of stuff…" Rantaro grumbled.
"They were not so potent initially," K1-B0 admitted. "I made some modifications to drastically improve their power output and functionality."
"Huh? You could do that? I thought you weren't good with computers or technology stuff." Tenko pointed out.
"Who cares? This is AWESOME!" Kokichi exclaimed as he rushed up to the flying, laser-shooting robot. "You're so COOL now, Keeboy! This is what the Ultimate Robot should be! You can fly and shoot lasers! Do you have a rocket punch? Please tell me you have a rocket punch!"
"...No, unfortunately. There was nothing like that in my lab." K1-B0 stated as he gave Kokichi an amused look. "Though I doubt that sort of function would help me destroy the academy."
"Aw… Oh well, the laser gun is super cool by itself anyway!" Kokichi smiled after pouting for a moment. "What else can you do? I wanna know just how much Keeboy leveled up since I last saw him!"
"Forget about that! I want to know why. Why use this dangerous stuff now? I thought you were against installing this stuff to yourself!" Kaede shouted worriedly.
"Th-That's right! You said you don't like sci-fi stuff like this!" Tenko nodded.
"Yes…I wanted to be treated like a real human. A creature of flesh and blood like you all." K1-B0 nodded before he narrowed his eyes into a more serious expression. "But I no longer have the luxury of clinging to that wish anymore! This reality we are trapped in has no patience for such naive dreams."
"Keebo…" Kaede muttered, but the Ultimate Robot shook his head.
"It's fine. In fact, I'd say this is better." He told them. "My course is clear! I must destroy this academy and end this killing game!"
"But if you go through with that, we'll all die, too, y'know." Rantaro pointed out as he crossed his arms. "We'll probably get caught in the crossfire of this destruction, and even if we don't, there's no oxygen outside the dome, right? There are no living things aside from us. We saw it when we got to the end of the underground tunnel. So why…?"
"If my actions result in our deaths…so be it," K1-B0 stated coldly, speaking in a detached, pragmatic tone suitable for a robot like him for the first time.
"'So be it'?" Shuichi repeated in horror.
"Do you not see it? This entire place is soaked in despair. Hope does not and cannot exist here. As long as this killing game continues, only despair awaits us." K1-B0 explained. "Nothing we do will stop it. It will never stop. So many people have already given their lives to end this game. Kokichi and Rin risked their life to end it, only for Rin to die now."
"Y-You know about that?" Kirumi asked.
"I was the first to find the body. It was then I realized what had to be done." K1-B0 replied. "Rin and Kokichi actually won against Monokuma, and yet this still happened. That means fighting to end the game as we have been doing is worthless. It won't change anything, and even if we did manage to do something, the ones controlling things will just twist things to start it up again."
"And if we did manage to stop this killing game and escape, where would we go? The Earth is destroyed, humanity is extinct, and even if there are others outside who are watching us kill each other, would they truly welcome us if we escaped this place? The truth is that none of us have a home to return to."
"Th-That…might be true…" Kaede admitted as she held her shoulders. "B-But still–!"
"Monokuma was right. It's just as he has mentioned before. Despair is all we have here." K1-B0 continued. "We simply do not have to power to change the outside world on our own as we are now. All we can do now is refuse to submit to despair!"
"And you would be willing to let all of us die to accomplish that? To die yourself?" Shuichi questioned in disbelief.
"That is a far better alternative than allowing Monokuma to continue the killing game." K1-B0 immediately answered.
"You can't be serious…" Rantaro growled.
"I am. Rin died while pursuing the end of this killing game, so we should follow his example." K1-B0 said before turning to Kokichi. "You agree, right Kokichi? You also risked your life to end the game when you usurped the mastermind. You worked with Rin to end it, only for this to happen. Don't you finally want to win against them?"
"..." Kokichi stayed silent for a brief moment, a blank expression on him before he eventually replied. "Who knows at this point? I think it would all end with us dying anyway no matter what we do. I guess fighting back was pointless."
"Kokichi…" Tenko began.
"It's true, isn't it? Everything I did was pointless. Nothing Me or Rin did here had any meaning. People still died, and even after we won, Rin died. So it ends like that anyway." Kokichi calmly said, no hint of amusement anywhere in his tone or face. "I did all of this so I could live, but the truth is maybe it's better to die like this than to continue. Maybe that whole 'mass suicide' idea was righy after all."
Kokichi then turned back to Keebo with a serious expression.
"However, I still want to live. I'm pretty stubborn like that. I won't accept death unless it was my only choice." He claimed. "And besides, no matter how cool you get, Keeboy, I'm not gonna follow you to death if this is something that inner voice suggested."
"...You do not have to worry about that. I can no longer hear my inner voice." K1-B0 revealed.
"You can't hear it anymore?" Shuichi questioned.
"For some reason…my inner voice has gone silent. I am not entirely sure why. But this means that this decision is my will, my choice. I've chosen to modify myself and destroy this academy." K1-B0 proclaimed. "We can never submit to despair! Because we are students of Hope's Peak Academy!"
"Hope's Peak Academy?" Kokichi questioned. "You mentioned that during the last trial, I think. What the hell does another school have to do with us?"
"You don't remember?" Kaede asked.
"He didn't use that Flashback light from before, so he might not remember like the rest of us," Rantaro noted.
"Flashback light?" Kokichi repeated as he placed a finger on his chin. "Hmm…if that's the case, then I don't think I can agree with you, Keeboy."
"Why is that? Were you not inclined to agree with me before?" The robot asked with a raised eyebrow.
"True…but now that I think about it, I think I still got a reason to live. I just found something interesting." Kokichi smirked. "It would seem there's still a lot more to uncover here, right guys?"
"What good will that do? There is no hope to find in this place." K1-B0 declared.
"No…that's wrong." Shuichi denied.
"...Wrong?" K1-B0 repeated in a confused tone.
"Yes, because there might still be hope. There might still be a place to call home." Shuichi argued.
"And what are you basing that claim on? I already told you that the only choices we have are to stay here, or risk going outside to escape, but the outside world is the hellscape we witnessed together, and even if there are other survivors outside, it is highly likely they are the ones forcing us into this hell. We have nothing left. So what are you basing your claim on?" K1-B0 shot back.
"...Nothing," Shuichi answered confidently. "I just have a feeling."
"A…feeling?" Kirumi repeated, to which Kaede just gave a light laugh.
"You certainly have changed Shuichi. You're starting to sound like Kaito again." Kaede smiled.
"I suppose so." Shuichi smiled before returning a serious gaze to Keebo. "It's more than just that, though. Rin and Kokichi still fought despite what they saw, and they managed to uncover a lot. There is someone watching us. There can be no killing game without an audience. Hope's Peak Academy was the same way. It was a killing game made for an audience. This game must be the same way. Rin and Kokichi proved that, and because they were getting so close to the real truth, Rin died. It can't be a coincidence."
"Someone is watching this somewhere…Someone, or an entire group." Kokichi nodded as he smiled at what the detective was saying. "It is very strange that Rinny died right before we figured out what was really going on, isn't it? It feels like a cover-up to me."
"If that's the case, then there's still a possibility!" Tenko shouted. "If Rin died to prevent us from discovering the real truth of this killing game, then if we find that, we could really end it!"
"Then we can't give up just yet," Kaede said firmly. "I refuse to give up at this point. Not after everything we've lost!"
"...That is true. We cannot say there is absolutely no possibility of that, but even a mere possibility–" K1-B0 tried to say, but Shuichi cut him off.
"No, that possibility is our hope!" He declared.
"...What?" The robot stiffened a little when he heard that.
"Well…we still haven't investigated the entire school. There's still a few areas that we haven't seen yet, I think, plus some areas we haven't been allowed to see." Rantaro showed off a small smile as he shrugged. "In that way, there are a lot of mysteries to this school and killing game we haven't figured out yet. I think we're still far away from the truth here."
"And there is also the murder of Rin," Kirumi added with a firm gaze. "We have only just begun to investigate his death. If we discover who killed him…who silenced him to prevent him and us from learning the truth, we may find a new path for us to use."
"It's starting to sound like the last thing we should do is give up, Keeboy." Kokichi snickered a little.
"That's right. We can't give up! We can't give up before we reach the truth! For ourselves, and everyone who has died!" Shuichi shouted.
"...Spoken like a true Ultimate Detective. No…Spoken like true Ultimates." K1-B0 finally showed a small smile. He seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I shall cooperate with your attempt to stop this killing game your way."
"Keebo!" Shuichi smiled.
"But you have until noon. I will not wait any longer than that." K1-B0 quickly added.
"Until noon?"
"Though noon here is simply an illusion projected onto the dome, if you cannot stop the killing game by noon, I will destroy the Ultimate Academy and end the killing game mysel–"
"Puhuhu… You're gonna end what now?" A new voice shouted as Monokuma appeared with pure fury in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you? It's impossible to end the killing game! Cuz the killing game is eternal!"
At his shout, all five of the Exisals landed behind him, their eyes glowing as they aimed their weapons at Keebo with malicious intent.
"H-He's back!" Tenko shouted as she got into a defensive stance, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to take on all of the Exisals on her own.
"Attempting to destroy this precious academy is more than a violation of school regulations. It's an act of mutiny!" Monokuma screamed in pure anger.
"So what!? You are sorely mistaken if you think I will allow this to continue!" K1-B0 declared.
"Huh? Is the robot malfunctioning? He must be–why else would he try to defy me?" Monokuma tilted his head once he spotted the weaponized Keebo. "Well, not like it matters anymore. You done fucked up, kiddo. Any last words?"
"I don't think he's messing around, Keebo!" Kaede shouted as she gritted her teeth.
"This place is dangerous. You all need to get out of here." K1-B0 told them as he readied his weapons and aimed at the Exisals.
"You're not seriously thinking about fighting them all by yourself, are you Keebo!?" Rantaro shouted.
"I can handle myself. You all need to find the 'truth' that you mentioned earlier while I stale them." K1-B0 responded as he glared at his targets. "It's all in your hands now! Now go!"
"Alrighty! You can count on us, Keeboy!" Kokichi smirked.
"Oh no you don't!" Monokuma screamed with a red face. "Never forgive rulebreakers! Anyone who messes with the killing game must die! Exisals, attack!"
"No, I won't let you run amok anymore! This killing game is over!" K1-B0 shouted as his cannon began to glow. "In the name of Hope's Peak Academy, the symbol of hope itself, and my fallen friends, I will destroy the Ultimate Academy, and bring down this monument to despair!"
And that's how all hell broke loose in the Ultimate Academy. It was as though war had broken out between Keebo and the Exisals the moment Keebo fired that beam at them. The Exisals scattered and began to attack, and just like that, the entire campus began a massive battlefield.
Shuichi and the others ran for cover within the academy immediately, trying their best to escape the battle that was unfolding.
"This is bad! Really bad! This place really will be destroyed at this rate! It might collapse at any moment with the way they're going!" Tenko shook with fear.
"It's just like one of those movies and books about a destroyed future." Rantaro grimaced as he grabbed a handful of his hair in frustration. "Damn it! This was already getting out of hand, but this is ridiculous!"
"Why in the world did Monokuma leave such weapons in Keebo's lab in the first place? Even for him, that was reckless." Kirumi frowned as a worried expression came to her face.
It was then the building started to shake again as if to prove Kirumi's point.
"Aaaah! Everything's falling apart right before our eyes!" Kaede stammered as she began to frantically move her hands around in an attempt to calm herself down, her fingers dancing about as if playing a piano. "What are we going to do now?!"
"It's just as we said before. We should just follow Keeboy's suggestion, don't you think?" Kokichi smirked mischievously, fear completely absent from his features.
"That's right. We need to find the truth in order to end this killing game" Shuichi nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's right." Tenko began to nod. "But…where do we even start? What should we be looking for?"
"What we need to find is obvious. We need to find the culprit who killed Rin, along with the real identity of the mastermind behind the killing game." Kirumi stated with a dark glare. "And if they just so happen to be the same person, that makes things easier for us."
"The mastermind… We've tossed that word around so much during our time here, but we've come up with nothing every single time. Are we really sure there even is a mastermind?" Kaede asked.
"If someone is watching us, then they must have set up this entire game. And if the outside world really is destroyed, the only place they could safely watch is in the dome with us." Rantaro stated. "Kokichi was only pretending to be the mastermind before, but we can't deny that there might be a real mastermind here. It could even be one of us."
"D-Don't say such things!" Tenko shouted. "A-And I thought only the seventeen of us were saved by the Gofer Project!"
"Perhaps someone infiltrated the Gofer Project and is hiding away from us? It's possible, don't you think?" Kokichi gave an evil smile. "If there is someone hiding in the shadows, then we have our mastermind, riiiiiight?"
"Could they be a Remnant of Despair, then?" Kaede asked.
"There's that nasty little name again. Seriously, what the hell is up with you guys with 'hope' and 'despair'?" Kokichi snarkily spat out as he clicked his tongue. "Is anyone going to explain that, or do I have to figure it out myself?"
"We'll explain later if we have the chance. For now, we should try to find the mastermind and gather more clues for Rin's murder." Shuichi replied. "If the mastermind is the one who killed Rin, then they'd have plenty of places to hide or destroy evidence. This complex is huge. There's definitely places we haven't explored yet."
"It seems like we should start looking for those places then and investigate them." Rantaro crossed his arms.
"That's not the only thing we have to find, though," Shuichi added. "To truly end this killing game, we must find this mastermind of despair…and also find hope."
"...Hope?" Kirumi repeated as she and the others turned to Shuichi with a bit of confusion.
"Our home. Where we're going to live after this killing game ends? What happens after we well and truly win? That's what I mean." Shuichi explained with a light, hopeful look and a small smile. "I know there is hope out there. We have to find it before we leave."
"I'm not sure it'll be that easy. This isn't some fantasy or fictional story." Rantaro frowned as he scratched his neck.
"But if we look for it, we just might find it. If we don't try…we'll never find anything. So we have to try." Shuichi said firmly.
"Since Keebo is distracting the Exisals, we won't have to worry about violating school rules. Not that they mattered anymore anyway." Kaede added as she thought about the situation.
"I can think of a handful of places we should be able to break into and search since Monokuma and the Exisals are busy now." Kirumi nodded.
"There's really no time or reason to complain or make excuses now. All we can do is just deal with it, yeah? So let's just deal with it." Kokichi sighed.
"That's right! If we work together, I know we'll figure this out! It'll all work out in the end, I just know it!" Tenko exclaimed happily.
"...I don't know about that," Kokichi muttered as sweat appeared on his face. "I think I'm just going to go do my own thing if you don't mind."
"As much as I hate to agree with Kokichi, I think we should split up, too," Rantaro said. "We'll be able to cover more ground like that."
"Really? But we were in such a united mood…" Tenko pouted a little as she pressed her fingers together.
"But we don't have enough time to stick together. Keebo's only giving us until noon, and who knows whether Monokuma and the Exisals might overpower him." Kaede said.
"Right…Then we'll see each other soon." Shuichi told them.
"Yeah. Good luck everyone!" Kaede shouted.
"As if I need luck." Kokichi snickered.
And so, everyone split up, and the true investigation began.