Sayua took Masashi to the dining room as part of Monokuma's preparations for the upcoming motive. When they stepped into the dining room, all attention was directed toward them by the other six students. Masashi had expected as much, given his most grievous fault. He could never forgive himself his great misdeed.

Though most of the others looked at him with great unease, Sorao in particular showed more dread than Masashi had expected. Masashi recalled what Maiha had said about the fact that he had smiled while attacking Sorao. The smile had shocked Sorao greatly, and Masashi could see why, having seen it himself on Monokuma's video. It seemed that the shock still lingered, as Sorao looked slightly squeamish as Masashi neared him.

"Masashi…" Kasumi said. "Are you… all right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Masashi said, his nervousness partly out of uncertainty about the others' reactions, partly about the upcoming motive.

"It's good that you're at least in good health," Haruyuki said, looking to be among the less bothered. "It would be a shame if you were any more… troubled."

"'Troubled'… That's putting it lightly," Faye said, trepidation in her voice. "I still can't believe it… You… You tried to kill Sorao…"

Takumi held up his teddy bear such that it covered the lower half of his face. "I was so shocked when I heard about what you did, Sir Masashi… I'd never have foreseen it."

Sorao scowled, though something about it looked less intimidating than before. "You… You're lucky that you were stopped ahead of time. Had you not been stopped, things would've gotten real bad for you!"

Sayua looked straight at Sorao. "Not like you didn't deserve it."

Sorao grew in his displeasure. "Of course you would say such a thing. You're still sore about what I did to Tanjiro, that pathetic louse."

"You don't feel any regret at all?"

"Why should I?"

Sayua bit her lip before facing away. "Ngeh… Now's not the time to say it…"

Huh… weird… Masashi thought. She sounded like she wanted to say more… I wonder what.

He faced Maiha now, but to his surprise, she looked far uneasier than he had expected. It was hard to believe that she was the leader of the group, given how she gave no impression of having control.

"Masashi…" she said with a dreary tone. "I… I really hope… things won't become more regrettable for you."

She sounded as if she had struggled to come up with a way to say that she was doubting him. Even though she had outright admitted that she no longer trusted him when they had last talked, Masashi sensed that she had regretted her choice of words since then.

"What do you expect the motive to be about this time?" Haruyuki began, sounding the laxest of them all.

"I don't know… After four motives, I'm done guessing!" Faye said. In contrast, she looked incredibly frightened, as if ready to fall on her knees at any moment. "All these motives… They're horrible! They caused Haruka, Abraham, and Arashi to kill! I don't want to think about the next one to fall for it!"

"Neither do I!" Kasumi said. "At this point, I can't lie to myself… I know for sure someone will kill!"

Sorao shrugged his shoulders with a snide smile. "The way you two are speaking, you're already blaming the future killing on someone else… Projecting, aren't you?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Faye said.

"Yeah!" Kasumi added, looking slightly irritated now. "D-Don't you think you know me… oh, why did you have to be so handsome…"

Sorao chuckled smugly. "I'm looking forward to hearing the motive. I'm sure that it'll cause a stir."

Takumi said nothing, burying his face into his teddy bear. Meanwhile, Haruyuki leaned his back on the wall, with Maiha standing nearby, and Sayua stood near Masashi with a conflicted look on her face.

Only eight of us left… Masashi thought. I don't want to think about it… but Kasumi's right. A killing will happen, and two of us will disappear from the face of this earth… I don't want to even guess which ones they may be.

Eventually, what quelled the chatter in the room was an all too familiar laugh. A few seconds later came Monokuma out of the floor, clad in his clean white captain's outfit.

"Ahoy there!" Monokuma said as he tipped his white hat. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I simply had to smarten up my outfit for the reveal! I can't very well come to these things looking like a dummy!"

"Is that so?" Haruyuki said. "I sense a greater feeling of anticipation from you…"

"Don't tell me the motive's going to be something super special again!" Kasumi said. "The whole memory-stealing thing was impressive, but I don't wanna go through that again!"

"Rest assured, little lady, there's no need for secret advanced technology for this one!" Monokuma replied. "It's super simple!"

As Monokuma paused, everyone looked at him with a mix of interest and fear, Sorao being the main exception, as he flashed a small smile full of satisfaction and leaned back on his seat. A few seconds later, Monokuma stretched out his arms, his red eye glowing.

"If none of you have killed by nighttime four days from now," he said, "I will reveal your personal secrets to the world!"

Once again, the revelation of the new motive drew gasps from everyone.

"Our… deepest… secrets?" Faye muttered.

"N-No way…!" Kasumi said, her face turning pale. "My secrets… You… You'll reveal them...?"

"It's... It's unbelievable!" Takumi said before he buried his face into his teddy bear, as if wanting to hide from the robotic bear that stood before him.

"Wait… no… This isn't right!"

Much to Masashi's surprise, the one who said that was Sorao, whose smile had been wiped off his face. Instead, he was wide-eyed, looking at the bear with extreme confusion.

"This isn't what I thought the motive would be!" Sorao protested. "You told me after the previous class trial that the killing game would be in my favor with the next motive! You told me that the blackened would be told everyone else's secrets!"

"Wh-What?!" Masashi blurted out. "Monokuma… told you that?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Monokuma replied mirthfully. "I don't recall saying anything like that to you!"

"More importantly, what kind of secrets are we talking about, exactly?" Haruyuki said.

"You really want to know?" Monokuma said, looking awfully delighted. "Well, I guess I can show you one example."

Monokuma then opened up the latch on his chest and took out what looked like a tape recording. He pressed a button, and from the recorder came a voice.

"But that's... I can't believe it... Lying this much about yourself for others' benefit.. Why do you have to lie in the first place? Why can't your true self just be… like what you pretended to be?"

Masashi gasped, for it was none other than his voice. And he knew when he had said it: his conversation with Sorao on the day after the previous class trial. He remembered that there were security cameras everywhere throughout the amusement park. Monokuma must have extracted the audio from the footage.

"If truth be told, even I'm not quite sure why things have to be this way. Is there something inborn that makes me this way? And more importantly… does it matter? Either way, I'll gladly act the same way. I will continue to lie to those empty human beings."

"No!" Sorao said, grimacing at his own voice. "Th-This can't be...!"

"'Empty'?"

"'Empty' is the best label that I can give them. I have found that most people have hardly any original thoughts or ambitions, and they simply yearn to live life as it is, not wanting to rock the boat. They yearn for peace first and foremost. Because of this, they have rather simplistic personalities and average intelligence. They're what you may call 'normal', but they're all mindless sheep."

The others gasped at Sorao's words from the recording. They had already learned of Sorao's wickedness, but to hear him outright insult normal folk like that was another thing.

"Don't you get it now?" Monokuma said as he clicked the button again to stop the recording. "It's this kind of secret that I'll reveal. And this was just a snippet, I assure you! Rest assured, there's more than enough filth to uncover about you! The talk shows and the gossiping housewives throughout the world will have much to talk about!"

"NO!" Sorao yelled, his face becoming twisted with wrath and outrage. "You… You… You backstabber! We had a deal!"

"A deal?" Masashi said.

"We made a deal after the class trial!" Sorao replied, pointing at Monokuma. "You told me that Brightmere Research was interested in me the most, so you would give me an advantage! That's why the rule even exists! The rule about how no one can be confined unless that person's willing or an immediate physical threat! You put up that rule, and I lied about being the one who had come up with it, just as you had told me to!"

"Wh-WHAT?!" Masashi blurted out once more.

Of all the things that he had expected Sorao to say, he had never expected him to make that kind of revelation.

Sorao... wasn't the one who came up with that rule? Masashi thought. It was Monokuma? But... why...?

"Puhuhuhu! Once again, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Monokuma said, covering his mouth as if holding in laughter.

"Don't lie to me!" Sorao exclaimed. "I thought you wanted me to win this killing game, but instead, you've betrayed me!"

"'Betrayed'? You don't understand, do you?" Monokuma said. "It's not truly a betrayal if I've never been on your side, is it?"

"No… No way in hell.. This... This is…" Sorao said, one eye twitching. "Unacceptable... unacceptable, unacceptable, UNACCEPTABLE!"

It was quite rare for the musician to show such outrage, and the only other time of such rage as Masashi could recall was the previous class trial, when Sorao had learned that Takumi had attempted to kill him.

"It's quite apparent that you are not taking this well," Maiha said as she approached Sorao. "Unfortunately for you, we'll be keeping an eye on you—"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The moment that Maiha grabbed Sorao by the wrist, he shoved Maiha aside so violently that she stumbled back and knocked over a table. Masashi rushed over to her side and helped her get back up.

"Puhuhuhu…" Monokuma said. "That was a nice shove, Sorao! I didn't expect you to be that violent! But say, don't you know what doing that means?"

"What?" Sorao replied, glaring at him.

"It means that you're a physical threat now."

The moment that Monokuma said those words, everyone grew silent. It was beyond clear what Monokuma was implying.

Sorao had fulfilled one of the two criteria that allowed one to lock him up.

"No… No… NO!" Sorao yelled as he stepped back from the group. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

He turned around and darted for the exit that led up to the outside deck.

"A-After him!" Maiha bade.

The others, having been shortly stupefied by Sorao's sudden desperation, quickly chased after him. Masashi too joined the pursuers, following his wits and having little time to think slowly. Passing through the hallway, Sorao soon reached the stairs and rushed up. Soon, the chase continued on the uppermost deck, where all could behold the cloudy heavens on this dark day.

Sorao ran to the aft side of the deck, in which the gangways to the other ships were located. To what place he had intended to flee and what his plan was were unknown, but it was clear that he would not yield.

Unfortunately for him, however, just as he turned to the gangway for the port side, which led to the Egyptian palace and the space station, Sorao stumbled and fell upon the floor.

Seeing this chance, Masashi sprang upon him and pinned him down by pushing on his shoulders. In response, Sorao grabbed Masashi by his arms and tried whatever he could to loosen his grip on him.

This situation at once reminded Masashi of how he had attempted to strangle Sorao in the Simulation Room. This time, however, he would not let things go that way.

"Get one of the tranquilizers!" Masashi yelled to the others.

"Ah! That's right!" Faye said.

As she rushed over to the two, Sorao suddenly managed to overpower Masashi and pushed him back, which caused Masashi to fall back upon the bystanders watching the sight.

"GWAH!"

But before Sorao should spring and flee, Faye had injected the syringe into Sorao's shoulder. Once the contents of the tranquilizer entered Sorao's body, Faye stepped back with the empty syringe, and Sorao stood up, looking quite unsteady.

"G-God damn it…"

Sorao stumbled back and forth and grabbed onto a nearby railing for support. After a while, however, he fell back onto the floor and lay there unconscious.

"My goodness…" Haruyuki muttered, looking quite stunned. "I did not anticipate this at all."

"But… at least we've gotten Sorao down at last!" Kasumi said. "We can now lock him up in his room, right?!"

"That's right!"

A voice came from behind, and it was Monokuma, with his arms clasped behind his back.

"I've already begun arrangements to change Sorao's door so that he may be confined," Monokuma said. "However! This time, I won't take care of his basic needs. I was nice with Masashi, but I think it's about time you did some more work!"

"You mean we have to go down and feed him every time?" Faye said.

"Well, one of you should, at least!" Monokuma replied. "And moreover, I've supplied you with some handcuffs. He's quite violent, in case you somehow missed the last five minutes, so it's best to cuff him, don'tcha think?"

Huh… Monokuma seems… very prepared to lock Sorao up… Masashi thought. It's like this is what he intended from the very beginning…

Masashi and Haruyuki were bidden to bear Sorao's unconscious self as the group trod all the way back down to their living quarters. Maiha grabbed Sorao's keycard from him and opened up the door. Once the group was inside, they saw that there was a pair of handcuffs lying nearby. Masashi then laid him down and cuffed him.

The very sight of Sorao confined like this brought Masashi some relief, but something about this whole situation struck him as off.

"Now that Sorao's been taken care of, let me remind you of the motive!" Monokuma said, upon which the slight delight on everyone's faces waned instantly. "Don't forget, in four days, I will reveal your secrets! I'll leave it to your imagination on what exactly I'll reveal… but really, do you really want to hope that I'll reveal a secret that's actually not important to you? If you ask me, you'd better eliminate all risk by killing!"

Having given the group the grim reminder of the temptation, Monokuma sank into the floor and disappeared. Wishing not to linger here any more, Maiha directed the group back outside and locked Sorao's door from outside.

"Well… that matter has been taken care of, finally," Maiha said.

"Sure, but there's another matter!" Faye said. "What about him?"

She pointed at Masashi, at whom all eyes were now directed.

"That's right… He tried to kill Sorao, a very grave misdeed," Haruyuki said matter-of-factly. "That would be a very worthwhile secret to hide from the world."

Masashi realized that this was the right time to let out how he felt. If he did not speak now, he might not have the chance to let them hear his thoughts.

"Everyone… I know you want me to stay locked up," he began, "but... please listen to what I have to say.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I broke your trust in me! I know that I'd broken your trust before, and I'd sworn to be honest with you. I'm ashamed of what I did..."

Masashi's admission of shame drew a few surprised looks from the others.

"For the last few days, I've been thinking about what kind of person I am…" he continued. "I've realized… that I've been lying to myself. I thought I was a normal person, but deep down, there's something… wrong with me."

"'Wrong'?" Kasumi said with concern.

"Yes… Those words that Sorao said in that recording… they apply to me. I'm empty," Masashi said, his tone laden with sorrow. "I'm nothing more than a mediocre, unambitious man… and I thought that I could accept it all by thinking that I'm an ordinary human being…! And I think it's this emptiness in me that's caused me to do all these mad things…"

At that point, Masashi bowed his head down.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"

For a few seconds, the others said nothing, looking at one another with unease and uncertainty. He was sure that none of them had ever expected to hear such words from him, but he needed to make it clear that he was all too aware of his mistakes.

Did he expect them to suddenly forgive him and release him from his captivity? He had a feeling that his words were too feeble to win them over. Still, it had been necessary to tell them his feelings. At the very least, they ought to know his feelings.

"Oh… Masashi…"

The one who spoke was Kasumi.

"I… I think we should give you one more chance."

"Wh-What?" Maiha said, looking more surprised than outrage.

"Masashi… even after I lied to you about how I'd been involved in Futaba's murder… even after I admitted that I'd been thinking about killing to get out of this place… you still cared about me and trusted me… you still saw me as a friend," Kasumi said softly. "I admit, I had my doubts about the decision to lock you up, but I still went along with it. But now I can tell that you're truly sorry about what you did… so it doesn't seem right if I turn my back on you now."

"Kasumi…!" Masashi said.

"I myself am quite unsure as to what to make of you," Haruyuki added. "I've always had the impression that you are more than you think you are, and it seems that I've been proven right. To be quite honest, I had my doubts about you, which is why I agreed to the proposal about confining you. But lately, I've missed conversing with you."

Huh… Why do I not feel so surprised to hear that from him? Masashi thought. Still... at least he trusts me.

"Sir Masashi… I never expected you to suddenly act like that. Are you really sorry for what you did?" Takumi said. "I… I want to believe you, so… I want to give you a chance."

"Ah… Thank you," Masashi said.

"No…"

This time, it was Faye.

"I'm sorry, but… even with an apology, I can't just act as if nothing had happened!" Faye said. "You attacked Sorao while delighting in it… I don't care if he deserved it. It's all too clear that there's something dangerous about you. I just can't ignore it… You've already been tempted to kill. It's only a matter of time before you strike."

Masashi groaned a little. He had already expected someone to still show doubt, but hearing those words from Faye still hurt.

"Oh, he gave Sorao what he deserved, all right," Sayua said with an apathetic tone. "Still… is that really enough to win you over? I don't really care, but…"

"Well… I…"

Maiha looked quite conflicted.

"I'm loath to admit it, but like the thief, I've been doubting my decision," she explained. "Masashi… I don't approve of what you did at all. Attacking another human being is wrong, even if he is a vile one. There's certainly good reason to think that you're capable of doing such a thing again. Still… I remember what you said to me a while ago. About how you wanted everyone to form a bond together… including me. And even after Sorao proposed that I be locked up because I might be the mastermind of this killing game… you gave me a chance. It was what made me think that you were like my beloved Mafuyu… and even now, I still see traces of him in you.

"Shall I let you go, or shall I keep you locked up?" she finished with a sorrowful look on her face. "There is kindness in your soul, and yet there is a tinge of madness as well. Thus, I cannot answer the question…"

Oh, boy… Maiha still doubts me, Masashi thought. In the end, she'll probably lock me up if she keeps doubting herself…

"Then how about a compromise?" Haruyuki suggested. "It's understandable that you can't trust him fully. We can keep his current arrangements of his confinement. But at the very least, I think that it would be more humane if we let him out during the day and have someone monitor him."

"That..." Maiha said. "Masashi... would you be okay with that?"

"It's... not ideal, but it's better than being pent up in that place all day," Masashi answered, knowing that it was too risky to beseech her to give him more freedom.

"Very well, then..." Maiha replied, looking slightly more relieved. "I will not have Monokuma change the locks of your door. But every morning, I'll have someone escort you out of this room for breakfast, and you shall be monitored throughout the day."

"Maiha!" Faye said, sounding quite aghast. "Are you really going to trust him just like that?!"

"I am. Mind you, I am very much aware that he is still a potential threat," Maiha said. "But unlike Sorao, he has shown remorse for his actions. And he himself has admitted that he has a problem. He sees himself as an 'empty' human being… Essentially, he is pained by his lack of special talent. He is not like us Ultimates. It is all the more reason why we are fortunate to be recognized for our merit."

"I-I see…" Faye replied. "Yes… We are fortunate… and he is unfortunate. He has no talent… it's why he can't help but see himself as mediocre…"

"So… will you trust me?" Masashi asked.

"S-Sure…" Faye said, albeit half-heartedly.

"What about you, Sayua?"

"Huh?" Sayua said, looking somewhat dazed. "Well… fine. Go ahead. But have you really forgotten the real problem at hand?"

"What?"

"The motive, genius!" she said with a bit of scorn. "In four days, Monokuma will reveal our secrets to the world… no matter how much you spew all that crap about your feelings, it won't change the fact that there's a giant temptation hanging over all of us."

The very mention of it chilled the group.

"This time, there's a time limit..." Takumi said. "We can't just wait it out anymore... our secrets will be out if someone isn't killed!"

"And this motive affects everyone roughly the same extent," Haruyuki said gloomily. "Even I... I have my own secrets that I wish to keep privy from the world at large."

"Y-Yeah..." Kasumi added, her eyes directed elsewhere.

"Practically, isn't it wise to keep an eye on those who have already done wrong?" Faye said, looking slightly unnerved. "We've already locked up Sorao, but Masashi and Takumi are still here. Who knows whether one of them's plotting something!"

"I-I swear, I'll not do anything bad!" Takumi said. "I've been a good little boy, really!"

"That's right!" Kasumi said. "And besides, Kumi's been under my watch the whole time… well, other than that one time, but…"

"Hold it!" Maiha said, staring sternly at her. "What do you mean, 'that one time'?"

"Um, well…" Kasumi said. "You see, last night… Kumi asked me for a favor. He wanted some time to be alone since he'd been watched the last few days, so… I allowed him to play by himself in the merry-go-round room."

"You WHAT?!" Maiha exclaimed, looking quite startled. "You let him go freely?!"

"O-Only for half an hour! I was only standing outside the room in the meantime!"

"Th-That's right!" Takumi said, clutching his teddy bear. "I-I wasn't doing anything bad! I was only playing around in the room, honest!"

"Even so, you should've told us at the very least!" Maiha said, looking not at all soothed by his explanation.

"Well, nothing happened in the end, so it's all okay, if you ask me!" Kasumi responded.

Maiha ground her teeth as she gave a great sigh of frustration. "I'll need to think about what to do about you... but in the meantime, Takumi shall continue to be watched. Not a moment shall appear when an eye is not on him."

"Really? That's it? Are you really just going to let this go? I bet he was up to something when he was alone!" Sayua said, keeping her frown.

"I-I wasn't..." Takumi whimpered with a clearly dejected look on his face. "I was just playing around... really..."

"Even if he is up to something, he'll be monitored, so he shall have no opportunity to cause mischief," Maiha answered. "So there you have it."

But Sayua looked not at all pleased by this. "You're naive as hell if you think that's enough to stop him if he's planning to kill one of us. I can tell that he's up to something, and if you won't do anything about it, then screw this!"

She then turned around, walked to her room, and slammed it shut. Masashi had no idea as to what she was thinking, but something about her demeanor made him suspect that this was not the last time that she would leave this matter alone.

"Hmm. I don't think she'll ever forget what you did," Haruyuki remarked. "Even if it was in self-defense, the fact of the matter is that you still killed her beloved Tanjiro."

"I… I know," Takumi replied sheepishly.

"Aw, don't worry about it," Kasumi said. "I'm sure she just needs some time to herself."

Is that really it? Masashi thought. I wonder what Sayua's thinking about…

"Are we done?" Faye asked. "I… would like some time alone right now."

"Yes, go ahead," Maiha said.

Faye left for her room, and a few seconds later, Kasumi and Takumi headed to the upper decks. Masashi thought that it was time for him to leave, but Haruyuki stepped before him.

"Masashi, there's something that I wish to inquire about," he said. "Why… exactly did you attack Sorao in the first place?"

"Well, that's…"

Masashi took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he told them his account. It was a certain memory that had sprung in his mind the morning after Mari's execution.


"Why...?

"Why have things come to this?

"You've done nothing wrong!

"It shouldn't have happened!

"That man had no reason to hurt you!

"So why...

"Why is he still unpunished for what he did?

"What kind of world would allow it to happen?"


"I see…" Haruyuki said. "So you recalled a vague memory, and the feelings in that memory were similar to the feelings that led you to attempt to kill Sorao."

"Y-Yes," Masashi answered.

"Do you recall the context of that memory?"

"Weirdly enough… no. In fact, I've not thought much about it. This memory… I don't recall when it happened. I can't recall any point in my life when I said those words…"

"Is that so?" Maiha said. "Then… perhaps…"

"Perhaps what?" Haruyuki said.

"Remember that our memories of our normal lives were cut off at some point," Maiha explained. "The reason is that Brightmere Research kidnapped us and used the Memory Bank to erase all the memories between that day and the beginning of the killing game. Our memories of being kidnapped were erased!"

"Ah!" Masashi said. "Then are you saying that the memory that I recalled was… a memory from that timeframe?"

"It's possible, that's all I'll say," Maiha replied. "We have no idea how many days passed between the last remembered day and the killing game. But it's very much possible that it was some time before the kidnapping. Masashi, you said that you were talking to someone in your memory. Do you know who it is?"

He shook his head. "Sorry… but… I don't recall anything at all. All I remember are the words and the feelings that I had when I said them. I know that when I said them… I was upset."

"Intriguing!" Maiha cried out. "Then perhaps that memory is the key to your… emotional turmoil. If it inspired you to attack Sorao, then it's quite plausible that something happened to you that caused you to be like this."

"Maybe…"

The mysteries kept growing and growing. Besides the question of whom he had been talking to in his memory, Masashi wondered just exactly who "that man" had been. The words showed that he had harbored a great loathing for that man, to the point that he had considered that man and Sorao to be of the same kind. After all, they were both unpunished for whatever they had done. Still, all he had were guesses. He had no idea what "that man" had done to him, but something about it filled Masashi with nothing but unease.

"More importantly… your recalled memory has shown one rather interesting thing," Haruyuki said with a contemplative expression. "You say that you 'recalled' that memory, yes?"

"Yeah, it just popped up in my head that morning."

"But that's peculiar," Haruyuki replied, raising a finger. "All our memories were 'erased' from our minds, yes? That's the conclusion that we drew from learning about the Memory Bank. After all, it was capable of erasing our memories of our darlings as part of the second motive."

Maiha widened her eyes. "Why, that's right! How could he remember an erased memory? Unless…"

Haruyuki let out a chuckle, a sparkle in his eyes. "I see now… perhaps Monokuma was not completely honest when he gave out that motive. Perhaps our memories were not 'taken away' so much as they were suppressed."

"'Suppressed'?" Masashi said. "You mean… our memories were inside our minds all along?"

"Yes. To be clear, I believe that the Memory Bank is capable of reading our memories and copying them, which allows them to be read," Haruyuki continued. "I do not think that our memories were 'transferred' from our minds to the Memory Bank. Rather, the Memory Bank simply suppressed certain memories of ours, to give off the impression that they had been stolen."

"That's… quite a conclusion," Masashi said, amazed by his guess. "But how? How were our memories suppressed?"

Haruyuki stroked his chin for a few seconds. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure. Perhaps… a chemical?"

"A chemical?"

"I've read many outlandish theories online that supposedly give information about memory suppression," Haruyuki answered. "Compared to everything else that I've read, a chemical that suppresses memories seems like one of the most realistic options. Unless you care to entertain the possibility that we've actually been subjected to UFO beams."

"I… see your point," Masashi said.

"It's intriguing, really…" Haruyuki said, continuing to stroke his chin. "It's something that I wish to delve into more for the time being."

"You don't seem concerned at all about the current motive," Maiha said, keeping a look of suspicion toward him.

"Do not misunderstand me. I am very much concerned about it… Even I have my secrets that I prefer to keep hidden from the public," Haruyuki said. "Still, I find this to be a better endeavor than fretting about it for the next few days. Perhaps if we uncover the truth behind our amnesia, then we can uncover the truth of the killing game. Besides, it's an interesting thing to delve into. And an interesting thing is a fun thing."

Haruyuki then bade the two goodbye and headed upstairs. Masashi wondered whether Haruyuki's investigation would bear any fruit. He had his doubts, but he still bore a little hope that he could uncover something important.


"How could this happen… How could this happen?"

Sorao groaned as he leaned back on the wall and stared out the window of his room. He had awakened some time ago, and Monokuma had told him the terms of his current arrangement. He had said nothing to Monokuma, both out of astonishment and out of shame. There was no denying it: he had made a major mistake. Unfortunately, he had let his anger overcome his judgment, and he had created an opportunity for the others to confine him.

An opportunity… Hah.

The more he thought about it, the more obvious it seemed now that Monokuma had planned this all along.

He should have been more suspicious when Monokuma had approached him the night of Mari's execution. He had agreed to Monokuma's deal, thinking that Monokuma had truly been invested in him, and as part of the deal, he had falsely claimed to the others that he had come up with the rule about not locking him up. But alas, he had let his arrogance cloud his judgment, and this was the result.

He should have never trusted that backstabber.

"What shall I do… What shall I do…?"

There was no way that he could escape his room. Not only was it now unlockable only from the outside, but he could hardly do anything because of his handcuffs, even though he could still move his fingers. Even if someone came in, and he rushed out of the room as soon as the opportunity should appear, he could hardly do much in his current state. He would be captured in no time. Trying to flee his room was no option.

"Then it's settled…"

There was nothing that he could do.

He was powerless.

But things were not so bad. He was confined to his room, so there was nothing that he could do to stop his secrets from being revealed. But the same motive applied to everyone. The stakes were so high that someone would eventually yield to the pressure and become the next blackened.

It was only a matter of time.

Yes, it was only a matter of time.

The more he told himself that, the calmer he felt.

For the next few hours, as the sun began to set, he wandered around his room and thought more about which of the others would strike first. Masashi was under great scrutiny, as was Takumi, so he ruled the two out immediately. Haruyuki struck him as suspicious, but he did not seem to be of the kind to kill. It was funny how easily he crossed off all the men as possible killers.

On the other hand, Maiha was haughty and intelligent, but had a weak spot in the form of her affection toward her lover, Mafuyu.

Kasumi had a great secret in the form of the true identity of the phantom thief Red Mask.

Faye projected a strong and prideful image, but deep down, Sorao knew that she felt insecure about her capabilities.

And Sayua was the most interesting of all. She was easy to read and was clearly distraught about Tanjiro's passing, whom she had loved. But Sorao was unsure on what her intentions now were. Perhaps she was plotting to kill him out of revenge. He had sensed that from her in the last few days. Still, his being locked in here now must have complicated whatever her plans might be. In a way, this confinement was a blessing.

Which of them would break first? He could only wonder.

Some time later, dusk came, and he heard his door open.

"It's you…"

It was Sayua, who was holding a tray of food. Monokuma had told him that the others would be feeding him, so he was not surprised to see the tray, nor was he focused on the fact that his meal was a meager bowl of rice along with some vegetables. No, what he was most interested in was the woman herself. There was something oddly calm about her, and Sorao had expected to see outrage toward him instead.

Sayua laid the tray down on the floor. "Here, eat it."

Sorao sat down with his legs crossed and raised his handcuffed hands. "Uh, mind removing them? Kinda hard to eat if I can't move my hands."

Sayua said nothing, but took out a small key from her pocket. She approached him slowly and inserted the key into the keyhole of the handcuffs, which caused them to be unlocked. As soon as they were off, Sorao had the thought of suddenly shoving Sayua out of the way and making his escape. But he quickly dismissed it, as he still would be in a vulnerable position, and the whole group would be far more alert and work together to subdue him. No, it was better to lie low and go with the group's demands.

"Eat it already," Sayua tersely demanded.

Sorao did as he was bidden and ate his meal quietly, neither of the two striking a word of conversation to each other. Once he was done, he handed her the bowl, and in no time, she put him back in handcuffs. This was no surprise, but now he expected her to leave without saying a word, and yet here she stood.

"Hmm? Not leaving yet?" he said.

"There's… something I want to ask you," she said. "Do you… regret what you've done?"

"What?"

She had asked him that earlier, but this time, she had spoken with a far graver tone.

"You plotted to kill Tanjiro… Don't you feel a single ounce of regret?"

Recovering from his surprise, Sorao scoffed. "My answer has not changed. Why should I feel guilt? Tanjiro was nothing more than a pathetic louse. In fact, you're a louse as well. No wonder you had an affinity for him. Lice are made for each other."

"You should be sorry about what you tried to do…" Sayua said. Oddly enough, she sounded quite calm, though he noticed her attempt to temper her emotion. "You're a wretch… trying to kill someone so close to you."

This time, Sorao looked at her confusedly. "What? 'Close'? We were neighbors, and we knew each other at elementary and middle school, but 'close'? I never felt that way toward him, and I'm sure he felt the same way toward me."

"You really don't know… Fine, then. Let me show you something."

She reached into her pocket and took out a small black book. It took Sorao a few seconds to remember that Sayua had been reading Tanjiro's diary for the last few days. Sorao had wondered at times what Tanjiro had written in it, but he could never get his hands on it, being watched by the others.

Sayua flipped to a certain page in the diary. "Tanjiro… he wrote an entry the night before his death. You… had better listen."

Clearing her throat, Sayua then began to read it:

"Tonight has been a strange night. Faye has been acting oddly, and she even refused to cook for us earlier, but that is not the only thing that has made me uneasy. Lately, the weather has become a little rough, the winds growing stronger, the waves growing rougher. It may be silly and superstitious to think like that, but lately, I've been feeling as if death were lingering around me. I sense it now: the possibility of my own death becomes the higher the more I remain in this killing game.

"I hope that my fear is proven to be false in the end, but just in case the worst should happen, I think that it's about time for me to write down this story. This is a secret that my mother told me when I was young, and since I don't know what has become of her now, I may be the only one alive who knows of it now. Though I swore to her that I would take it to the grave, I cannot help but feel that it is wrong not to leave some record of it behind on this earth, so that others may find it if I should die. Just as I, as the Ultimate Historical Novelist, have learned from many stories of past men, so too do I hope that my tale may prove to be of use to others."

"What…?" Sorao mumbled with a sense of foreboding. "What… What is this secret?"

"You'll see," Sayua said plainly before continuing:

"Many years ago, there were two young women. They grew up together as good friends and bonded over the misfortune and poverty heaped upon them. Thus, they also shared many of their dreams together. Around the time when they became adults, they yearned to become mothers. But they had formerly had trouble with finding good men. They were convinced that if they did not have children soon, they would soon be out of their prime and remain childless.

"But a miracle soon arose in the form of a certain man. He was a friend of theirs, and he had become accustomed to traveling throughout the world. They asked him to do the deed with them, and in return, he would not have to worry about rearing the children or being involved in their lives. He could travel all around the world as part of his hedonistic lifestyle.

"He agreed to their proposal, and nine months later, both women bore children. By that point, the father had already left town, and where he had gone was of no concern to anyone. The two women had already moved out to an apartment block, living next to each other."

"Wait… NO!" Sorao said, having realized it. "You… Don't tell me that…"

Sayua said nothing and continued reading.

"One of the two women was my mother. She bore me and my twin brother that day. As the years passed by, she bore children from different men, and they are my brothers and sisters.

"The second woman, on the other hand, had only one son. She fell in love with many men, but in the end, her relationships ended in heartbreak.

"She had no one but Sorao, her beloved son and my elder half-brother."

There was silence.

Sorao could say nothing.

At first, he thought that he had simply misheard her. She had said another name.

But the look on Sayua's face did not reassure him at all.

"No… You can't be serious… Tanjiro and I… are… akin?"

Sayua nodded. "That's what it says."

Memories of Tanjiro fleeted through Sorao's mind.

Most of those memories were full of mockery. He had mocked Tanjiro for being worse and less ambitious. At that moment, he had felt proud.

And yet, when he looked back at them, there was something different. There was no sense of pride at all.

"I-It can't be! Tanjiro… that louse…! He knew all along that we have the same father?"

"He did."

The bluntness of her answer stupefied him.

"There's one more part. Let me finish."

Sayua looked back down at the diary, looking unconcerned about Sorao's state of mind.

"I have always wanted to tell Sorao this secret of ours. I can tell that he does not know of our kinship. But I've hidden it from him, since I cannot imagine how well he would take the news that he had tormented one of his own kin all these years. I sense that all it would do is hurt him.

"Despite everything that he has done, deep down, I love Sorao as one of his kin. I do not wish for him to suffer any ill.

"All I wish is for him to learn from his mistakes and become a better person.

"If that day ever comes, then I will tell him this secret. Until then, I can only hope."

Just as Sayua stopped, Sorao regained his speech and did not waste a second to use it.

"No… NO! You lie! He wrote no such thing!"

"See for yourself, then."

Sayua showed Sorao the diary entry, and Sorao eyed the handwriting.

"No… It can't be…!" he said, fear entering his voice. "It's… Tanjiro's handwriting!"

"That's right. It's not fake or anything. What you've read is the real deal."

"Then… Then…" Sorao struggled to let the words flow. "All this time… I tried to kill… my younger half-brother?!"

"It sure was evil of you," Sayua replied tartly. "And I remember that conversation you had with Haruyuki a few days ago. You told him that it was heinous to hurt another family member. You said it was a special kind of evil."

"That's…"

Yes, he had said such a thing to Haruyuki. He also remembered that in the game Planet Explorer, he had said the same thing to Masashi and Maiha.


It was then that Sorao shook his head. "You think too lowly of me. Of course I think there are some unconditional relationships. One of them is family."

"Family? Care to explain yourself?"

"What's special about family relationships is that they are concrete and real. We are born on this earth connected to very few people, and it is those people with whom we have an objective relationship. A mother and her son have a real bond that can never be broken. It's right in the blood. I believe that's the main reason why cultures around the world acknowledge how heinous it is that someone should kill a member of his family. Deep down, we understand that someone who kills one of his own kin also kills a part of himself."


The more his own words rang through his mind, the more suffocated he felt. He had said those words with full confidence, and yet he now learned that all this time, he had transgressed one of his moral boundaries.

It almost felt like a joke.

He wanted to laugh at all this.

But no laughter came out of his mouth. There was only silence.

"Not saying anything, huh?" Sayua said. "You sure don't look so good."

One question remained.

Why had Sayua told him this?

He was about to ask her, but then he saw the answer.

Tanjiro had never told him this because he had not wanted to hurt him with the knowledge that he had been tormenting one of his own kin all along. Tanjiro had been kind to a fault.

But Sayua was different. This was part of her revenge for his playing a part in Tanjiro's death. He had tried to kill him with Arashi's murder scheme and then tried to trick Takumi into killing him. Even though things had gone unexpectedly wrong on that fateful morning, in the end, Sorao had created the situation for Tanjiro to meet his end by Takumi's hands.

Hmm?

A certain feeling sprang within his heart.

What was this feeling?

It was quite unfamiliar.

He could not say, but he knew one thing for sure:

This feeling within him was unpleasant.

It was discomforting.

It was awful.

But what was the cause?

It took him a second to see what it was.

It was that wretched diary.

It had those wretched pages in which those wretched words were written.

And that wretched woman had made the wretched choice to make him suffer from this wretched feeling.

He had no need to ponder over what needed to be done.

"H-Hey, what are you—"

Before Sayua should even finish her sentence, however, Sorao, full of rage and zeal, raised his hands up high and slammed them into her head.

"ARGH!"

She yelped upon being struck, and the diary slipped from her hands. Sorao gave her no time to react further, for he shoved her aside with the force of his body, which caused her to stumble back and hit the nearby wall.

Sorao rushed to the diary, knelt down, and did his best to pick up the diary. Even though his hands were handcuffed, he could still move his fingers.

He opened up the diary and turned to the entry that bore the accursed entry about Tanjiro's kinship with him.

Now it was time to tear it in pieces—

"GWAH!"

Sorao let out a great cry upon feeling a sting in his back. He glanced backwards and saw that Sayua had stood back up and attacked him with a syringe, the liquid in which was injected into him. Only upon seeing that needle did Sorao recall that she had a tranquilizer on her.

How could he have forgotten that crucial fact?

After all, Faye had attacked him with a tranquilizer this morning. He should have remembered.

Sayua soon backed away from him. Meanwhile, Sorao stood back up, only to find his sight once again disoriented. Despite knowing the futility of it, he stumbled about and tried to gather his bearings. It was of no use, however, and everything around him grew more and more warped. Eventually, he was so overwhelmed that he fell on the floor.

He glanced at Sayua and saw her scowl one more time before his sight was swallowed by darkness.


"Wh-What the?"

It had been some time since Sayua had taken dinner down to Sorao. Masashi and the others had grown slightly worried about her, which was why Masashi and Maiha had gone down to the living quarters to see what was going on. Much to their surprise, however, when they had opened Sorao's door which had been left ajar, the two found Sayua standing beside Sorao, who was now lying on the floor.

"Sayua! Explain yourself!" Maiha said, pointing accusingly at her. "What have you done to Sorao?!"

She was holding an empty syringe on one hand and a small black book on the other. Masashi quickly recognized what they were.

Sayua looked unfazed by her authoritative tone. "Nothing that concerns you… I gave him his dinner and said a few things to him. He… got upset, and I had to knock him out."

"A-A few things?" Masashi said. "What… exactly did you say?"

"Like I said, nothing that concerns you," Sayua replied, sounding awfully evasive. It was then that Masashi noticed her slipping Tanjiro's diary into her pocket.

"I should think otherwise!" Maiha replied, continuing to sound aghast. "What you said to him must've been enough to react violently toward you!"

"Yeah, well, the guy's not right in the head," Sayua retorted. "If you really want to know… we were talking about Tanjiro. The conversation simply… got out of hand."

Maiha scoffed. "That is for me to judge. I'll be sure to ask him once he wakes up from his slumber."

"Oh, go ahead. He's not gonna say anything, though."

"What makes you so sure?" Masashi asked.

Sayua flicked a fringe of her blond hair. "Call it a hunch."

Huh… it must've been something pretty important if it's enough to shut Sorao up, Masashi thought. She said they were talking about Tanjiro, so… was the secret about Tanjiro somehow?

Sayua held up her empty tranquilizer. "Hey, got another tranquilizer?"

Maiha crossed her arms, sternness replacing her outrage. "Unfortunately, no. Monokuma gave me only four syringes. I used mine on Masashi, and Faye and you used yours on Sorao… on two separate occasions, no less. The only one who still has hers is… that phantom thief."

"Oh, well… Whatever," Sayua said, looking none too bothered. "You don't need me for anything else, right? He at least finished his dinner."

"I guess so, but…" Masashi said. "Sayua, I don't think it's good for you to be around Sorao. You seem to be… upset with him."

"'Upset', huh…" Sayua snorted. "I don't know where to begin…"

"However you may feel, this surely must not happen again," Maiha said, sounding less sympathetic. "I shall bar you from the duty of sending Sorao meals."

This time, however, Sayua shook her head, one hand shaking. "No, I'm not done with Sorao… I want to keep talking things out with him."

"You do?" Masashi said.

"Yeah… Just to see how he's doing," Sayua replied. "It… will make me feel better. Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt him."

Maiha, however, looked unpersuaded and clicked her tongue in disapproval. "No. It's clear that you're up to something, and letting you spend more time with him will not make you feel better, contrary to your claim. You're clearly bitter about Tanjiro's death, and I shall be a fool if I allow this to happen again. Give me the key to this room and the key to his handcuffs. We shall be all the better for it."

"Tch..."

Sayua took out the keycard from her pocket and the key to Sorao's handcuffs and handed them to Maiha. As she walked past Masashi and out of the room, Masashi had a closer look at her face. Though her expression was blank, her eyes gave off quite a serious and sullen look, as if a grave matter were on her mind. He noticed that her way of walking seemed to be full of purpose, as it were, and she oozed a kind of determination that she had lacked the last few days.


Hello, everyone! Once again, I hope that things are going well for you.

In this chapter, the motive is revealed, and it's pretty simple since it's based on one of the motives from the first Danganronpa game: everyone's secrets will be revealed to the outside world if no one kills in four days. Of course, this angers Sorao greatly, and he ends up becoming a prisoner. Oh, and it turns out that Tanjiro and Sorao are more related than the latter thought…

Next time, some more stuff will happen! See you later!