Boy's Life Despair: [D̶a̶i̶l̶y̶ ̶L̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶ Deadly Life]
"I tried to suppress my screaming, but it was useless. It surged out of me, like water from a spring gushing out of the ground. Nagito, on the other hand…"
"Most unusual, don't you think…?" Nagito asked unemotionally.
"He was totally calm. Almost like he was watching this all unfold in front of a TV screen."
"Look. Gundham's corpse has been sprawled out in the girls room somehow." Nagito pointed out, "And a blood trail leading from the pool room… I wonder where it leads to? Such an undignified way to kill someone… No, this is beyond undignified. Wouldn't you agree?" Nagito asked.
"They killed him! How could it not be brutal?!" Junko asked.
"No, that's not my point. This murder is far too bizarre for any everyday amateur to have committed it. Unlike with Mikan, this murder was not a crime of passion or necessity. It's almost as if whoever did this… did it for fun or vengeance. You see what I mean, don't you?" Nagito questioned Junko.
"...What?" Junko asked.
"My head was swimming. I was still reeling, too confused to understand what he was trying to say. And before i could even begin to clear my mind…"
"H-Hey, I heard something! What hap–" Mahiru asked, pausing as she looked at what Nagito and Junko were looking at.
"G-GUNDHAM?! AAAAAHHHHHH!" Mahiru yelled out.
*Don Ding, Ding Dong*
"A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!" Monokuma announced
"W-What the fuck was that…?" Junko asked.
"Oh right. You were unconscious during Mikan's, so you don't know about it. What you just heard was the body discovery announcement. Apparently, when three or more people discover a body, an announcement plays to let everyone know. I imagine it's so the search for the culprit can proceed fairly for everyone involved." Nagito concluded.
"Proceed… fairly…?!"
"The body discovery announcement…?! Then… Gundham's really… he really is…?" Mahiru asked, nearly speechless.
"Dead, yes." Nagito said coldly.
"D-D-D-D–!" Mahiru stutters out.
"Before you start screaming your head off, go round everyone up. It seems another game has begun." Nagito said coldly, "Another life-or-death game to uncover a killer…"
"Mahiru bolted out of the locker room. As everyone made their way to the scene, it felt like no time at all passed by. I suppose my sense of time had just… flown away now. When I finally came back to myself, I saw everyone had the same look of confusion, fear, and anger. We all just stood there, gathered around Gundhams body."
"Damm…I couldn't keep him safe…!" Nekomaru grimaced.
"So there's another victim…" Byakuya said, looking saddened by the scene before him.
"Which means we are now in the same position once again." Peko said solemnly
"W-Wh… What the fuck IS this?!" Fuyuhiko asked, looking slightly disturbed by the scene.
"It's a dream! This is a dream! It's all a dream!" Teruteru said to himself wishfully but knowing it's not the case, "In fact, I haven't been born yet! I don't have any memory of being alive in this world! AAAAAAAA!"
"Please be quiet." Peko said simply.
Junko just stares on before slowly recovering from her state of shock, looking at the bloodtrail first.
"But going so far as to drag the body to this location… Surprising stupidity in my opinion." Peko said.
"A stupid murderer? In this situation? Probably the worst thing I can imagine." Nekomaru said.
"Well it could be a serial killer." Nagito said.
"A-A-A what?!" Kazuichi yelled out in fright.
"It could be a serial killer. One that pretended to be one of us that is hiding in our mists" Nagito said.
"O-Ok come on, that's a bad joke…!" Teruteru said.
"But I'm not joking. We could have a deranged killer on our hands… someone like Genocide Jack for instance." Nagito mentioned
"The Ultimate Murderous Fiend or something? I heard about him, but this doesn't look like his style." Akane said.
"I wasn't saying it was him, but someone like him. Perhaps a copycat killer, or a killer inspired by him to do their own killings." Nagito concluded.
"N-No way…!" Akane yelled in a bit of terror. She looked to the side and let out another yelp, "Ah!"
"Oh what now?!" Teruteru asked.
"Mahiru!" Akane said.
"Akane was pointing at the spot near the workout equipment."
"...Rry…I…" Mahiru said softly, tears wailing in her eyes.
"Mahiru was the first to arrive, and now after gathering everyone she was just standing there… looking distraught."
"...? Orry….I… s…o…r…r…y… I'm…s…o…r…r…y…! WHY WHY WHY?! I'M SORRY!" Mahiru yelled out before collapsing on the ground into tears.
*Ga-thunk!*
"H-Holy shit! Mahiru? You uh… you ok?" Kazuichi asked.
"Mahiru!" Akane yelled.
"Akane rushed over to the sobbing Mahiru and started to comfort her."
"Mahiru, hey… come on, it's not your fault… none of us knew this was gonna happen…" Akane said softly
"She's probably feeling a lot of emotions from this… let's have her go to her room and recover a bit…" Teruteru said as he looked at Chiaki who was similarly struggling to not have a breakdown, "...On second thought, let's have both of them together and they can come out when they want."
"N-No! …I-I-I can manage…." Chiaki said, lying through her teeth.
"Chiaki you don't have to do this…" Hajime said.
"I-I know… but I want to help… after not doing much in the last investigation…" Chiaki said.
"...Alright. But just watch yourself ok?" Hajime replied with concern.
"For now take care of Mahiru while the rest of us investigate. I assume nobody has a problem with having Nekomaru and either Peko or Fuyuhiko on guard duty again?" Nagito asked.
"I'll… skip out on guard duty this time… Peko can do it. I'll just watch for now until someone needs me…" Fuyuhiko replied.
"Wait a moment! We shouldn't be rushing the investi–" Junko tried to say out
"This isn't remotely like what happened with Komaru. Surely you realize the difference between her and Mikan's deaths." Nagito said condescendingly.
"Hey, tha–!" Junko yelled out.
"There's no question or doubt that Gundham was murdered by someone among us." Nagito concluded, "Isn't that right, Monokuma?" Nagito asked, smirking.
As if being called by Nagito himself, Monokuma appeared, "Right as rain! But don't take it as a bad thing. It's just a fact of life. Like I told you, that's how graduation works!" Monokuma cackled.
"Then… it happened again? Is that what you're saying?! That another one of us…? Another one of us killed… a fellow friend?"
"What, does that freak you out? You guys got no balls, you know that?! Is there just nothin' down there at all? Well, I'll let you pray to mine if you want." Monokuma casually said while panting.
"Yo, what the fu-" Akane started to say.
"But technically, I don't have any either, so… Forget I said anything!" Monokuma cackled.
"Stop monologuing and give us what you came here to give us. You did bring it, right?" Nagito asked, getting straight to the point.
"Hehehe…I sure did, chum!" Monokuma chuckles "Allow me to present the next Monokuma File. I know how much you must be looking forward to it! So, please do your very tippy-top best on this investigation!" He finished before disappearing yet again.
"Do we really need to do another investigation?" Akane asked unenthusiastically, "Examining the corpse of one of our friends… Having to suspect all our other friends… I hate this! I hate it with a burning passion!"
"I hate it too, girl!" Kazuichi shouted in agreement, "Come on we've had enough! Let's get outta here!"
"There's nowhere to run. Where would you plan on going?" Nekomaru asked.
"Just accept it already. After all, blood is just a liquid. A dead body is a simple object." Nagito replied coldly.
"Are you seriously calling a dead body… an object?!" Fuyuhiko said with barely contained fury, "Gundham wasn't an 'object'! Show some fucking respect, or I'll beat some into you!" Fuyuhiko yelled, looking even angrier than usual.
"You are… very eager about all of this, aren't you?" Peko asked while maintaining control of her own disdain towards Nagito.
"How can I not be? If we don't unmask the culprit, we all die." Nagito said simply.
"Th-Th-That's true, yeah, but… to jump into it so soon…" Junko replied, frowning distastefully.
"What? Do you want to die?" Nagito asked, staring down at Junko, "If that's your hope, then go off and die somewhere. Right now, go ahead. You're a waste of space." Nagito remarked.
"I… can't tell if he just told me to kill myself or drop to my knees and beg someone to put me out of my misery… Yeah I'm a freak, but to be that blunt about how normies treat freaks…"
"Everyone stop bickering. Listen, as unsavory as it sounds, there's some truth in Nagito's words." Byakuya said.
"E-Eh? Byakuya?" Junko asked a little unsure what he was referring to.
"If we don't solve the mystery and find the killer, our own lives are forfeit." Byakuya clarifies, "And if Nagito is right and some serial killer among us killed Gundham… then unless we do something now, more victims could appear and pile up."
"Forgot more victims! If we mess up, we're all dead meat! And I'd rather not know what Monokuma does with dead human meat!" Teruteru said scared.
"Wait hold on, wait hold on! If that's your worry, you don't gotta worry any longer!" Monokuma said reappearing, "In any one killing game, the guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people." He stated.
"Wait, what? I don't recall a rule like that being mentioned before…" Teruteru said curiously.
"I just came up with it recently. I mean, if one person went around and killed everyone, your lovely student life would be over, right?" Monokuma asked.
"Another rule to make this sick game 'fun'..."
"In that case, why not limit it to one person?" Nekomaru asked, slightly rattled that Monokuma drew the line at two kills.
"Well in a good mystery, you don't want to miss out on at least the potential of a serial killer angle! Nyoohohohoho! Just one would totally murder that possibility, but three or more would totally take too many players out of the game at once! Farewell for now! I'll catch you guys at the class trial!" Monokuma laughed as he vanished yet again.
"I can't say I understand his thinking or motives, but if we can only kill up to two people… then one more person's life could still be in danger." Peko pointed out.
"Which is definitely not good. We need to uncover the culprit before something else happens." Nagito agreed.
"YOU need to shut the hell up!" Fuyuhiko yelled
"W-Well… for now, Hajime and I will drop Mahiru off at her room." Akane said.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry…" Mahiru said, sobbing.
"We have no time to stand around here. We must begin our investigation with haste" Peko said, "If we do not solve the mystery of who killed Gundham… then we will quickly follow him into the afterlife." Peko definitely said.
"That's true… I hate it but it's true… I hate this so much! As much as Akane and Kazuichi do, if not more! But if I want to survive… me and the others… we have to do this. Like with Mikan before, we have no other and we can't give ourselves any other choice!"
Investigation Start!
"First of all, I'd better check the Monokuma file to see exactly what's going on."
Junko pulls out the file and reads it.
"The victim was Gundham Tanaka. The time of death is estimated to be around 2 A.M. The body was discovered in the girls locker room, on the 2nd floor of the school. The cause of death was a blow to the head with a blunt object. He was killed instantly."
"That's seriously all it says…? Well… it's not like there's any point in complaining about it. No matter what, I gotta do what I gotta do."
"Junko. Do you have a second to spare?" Nagito suddenly asked.
"Huh? You… need something from me?" Junko asked.
"Of course. Life without purpose is very dull, you know?" Nagito said smiling.
"So…what do you need?" Junko asked.
"Care to cooperate with me during my investigation?" Nagito simply asked.
"...What?" Junko asked, bewildered by the sudden request.
"I'm purchasing your skills. The same skills which allowed you to solve Mikan's case." Nagito remarked.
"Solve…? No, I just…" Junko tried to speak.
"You seem to have some use, if limited. Which is why I've chosen you." Nagito said, not even bothering to listen to anything Junko tries to say, "You have the honor of contributing to my investigation."
"So… are you inviting me to come or telling me to come? Because you don't seem to be allowing me a choice on this… Tch, prick."
"Now then, shall we get started?" Nagito asked.
"B-But–" Junko tries to speak up.
"We need to get moving. There's no time to be standing around." Nagito said.
"Mmmm..." Seemingly defeated, Junko's cheeks puffed as she pouted.
"Ok, if not for the life and death situation. I'd punch him and tell him to piss off. But for now… I'll be working with Nagito on this case."
Junko looked around the room some more, though her mind wasn't fully focusing on all the details. Partly because she's been utterly baffled by Nagito's "request", and mainly due to her still trying to recover from the fact Monokuma not only knows her talents, but also her previous name. Eventually, she looked down and was able to focus on one important detail.
"There's a dumbbell on the floor. And… there's a bloodstain on it! The right side has a fairly large amount of blood coating it!"
"The Monokuma File did say 'a blow to the head with a blunt object' is what killed him." Nagito pointed out after seeing the dumbbell himself.
"So that means this was the murder weapon used on Gundham." Junko concluded.
"I don't imagine it could've been anything else, so yes." Nagito agreed.
Junko got up and went to Fuyuhiko.
"Dude had something going on with him, that's for sure." Fuyuhiko said grimacing, "For all his weird talk, he did seem like a nice guy underneath."
"Heh. He sure spoke a lot in weird roundabout ways…" Junko nodded.
"Yeah. He probably came down here for some kinda weird reason or another…" Fuyuhiko said, looking down.
"But why did he come here of all places? He could've hanged out anywhere else. But he chooses here?" Junko questioned.
"I dunno, girl. Haven't really thought about that…" Fuyuhiko said depressed.
"The cause for Gundham being here… I can't help but question what it could be…"
Junko left Fuyuhiko alone and went over to Nekomaru.
"I used the locker room on the men's side all the time. Now… right next to it… is the site of Gundham's death." Nekomaru said in a grimm tone
"But… how and why the girls lockerroom? Actually, thinking about it, would it not be more likely he could've been killed elsewhere, then carried here?" Junko asked.
"Its possible, he could've been quite light. It wouldn't be hard for someone to carry him. But still… I think personally he came here on his own, by choice." Nekomaru stated.
"What makes you say that?" Junko asked
"He had been talking to me, Chiaki, and Hajime about spending time with some friends of his." Nekomaru said.
"So he came down here to visit someone? But according to the Monokuma File, apparently he was killed around two in the morning. Would he be talking to anyone that late?" Junko asked.
"Usually me or Fuyuhiko are in the locker room during the day. So he was probably avoiding it then." Nekomaru pointed out.
"Avoiding it?" Junko asked.
"Although we invited him to join us more then once, he never showed up. So I can only assume he was trying to avoid us." Nekomaru concluded.
"And instead, he came to talk to his friends in the middle of the night?" Junko asked
"Perhaps. But it's difficult what kind of friends he'd be willing to talk to so late." Nekomaru said in deep thought, "He wanted to socialize with someone, but specifically wanted to socialize with someone that's, well… not us. That he needed complete isolation."
"So you're saying he could've come here in the middle of the night to talk to someone in secret… but that he also would've come completely alone without anyone else." Junko summarized.
"Its a possibility, I think." Nekomaru said
As Junko backs away she is faced with Nagito.
"Now i believe it's about time for us to move on." Nagito said encouragingly.
"Already?! But–" Junko tries to say out
"New clues wont magically appear by standing around here. We need to check every aspect of this case." Nagito pointed out.
"That's true, yeah but…" Junko mutters
"If you're satisfied, let's hurry up and proceed." Nagito remarked leaving before Junko could say a word.
"Goddamn he is pushy as hell… I got caught up with the wrong person this time."
Junko follows Nagito out as they enter the pool entrance room.
"Our next stop." Nagito said thinking.
"Huh? How is this place related to the investigation?" Junko asked
"Figure it out yourself. Wouldn't it be boring to you if i told you?" Nagito asked
"..." Junko sighs.
Junko looks around a small bit before paying attention to the card reader
"I remember that this card reader is meant to work with our handbooks." Junko said to herself.
"Do you have an issue with it? If so, I'm sure Monokuma would be happy to listen to your complaints." Nagito dismissed.
"He said that, then quickly and sharply clapped his hands together."
"You called for me?" Monokuma asked, appearing from nowhere.
"...How did he domesticated him?!"
"I believe that Junko has a question for you" Nagito said putting Junko on the spot
"Sure whats up?" Monokuma asked curiously happy
"W-Well… It's just about the card reader…" Junko said ignoring Nagitos putting her on the spot.
"Yes, the card readers have all been designed to interface with each of your e-handbooks! You can only enter the locker room corresponding to the gender listed in your individual handbook." Monokuma explained
"And its impossible for two people in a row to go though while the door is unlocked, correct?" Nagito asked.
"If there were some sort of erotic terrorist on the prowl… The ceiling-mounted Gatling gun would initiate a Swiss cheese slaughter!" Monokuma firmly stated.
"And the school regulations prohibit anyone from lending someone else their handbook, correct?" Nagito questioned.
"Correctly correct!" Monokuma said in another cutesy pose.
"So then… That means only girls can go in the girls locker room, and only boys can go in the boys locker room. In other words, Gundhams body being found in the girls locker room means…"
"Hey, Junko. I can see right through you." Nagito spoke, interrupting Junko's thoughts.
"See right through me?" Junko questioned.
"Allow me to tell you what you're thinking… Since Gundham was found in the girls locker room, the killer must have been able to get in there. Therefore the killer must be one of the girls right? Oh my, your hope is something that simple?" Nagito asked in mocking politeness.
"But what else could it be?" Junko asked.
"You should pay closer attention to the regulations. The answer has been infront of you the entire time. 'Loaning your E-Handbook to another student is prohibited' Only the act of 'loaning' a handbook is prohibited. Borrowing someone else's is perfectly fine." Nagito explained.
"Nyohohoho! I would expect nothing less from the supernaturally lucky student himself!" Monokuma laughed, "So you managed to guess what the loophole in the regulations was!"
"Knowing you, I would bet you created it on purpose, didn't you? To add a little more excitement to things." Nagito asked disinterestedly.
"Kyaaah! You're treating me like a puny little appetizer instead of the main course that I am!" Monokuma replied jovially, "Now then, since the dead can't actually talk, they're not people anymore! They're things! Get it? Got it? Good."
"Ooooh, how I want to strangle him alive so FUCKING HARD FOR WHAT HE SAID TO MIKAN, GUNDHAM AND THE OTHERS! …Grr, but if I did that, I'd be a dead woman.
"Wait, hold on… You're saying that's a loophole? But the act of borrowing something is to have someone else…well uh loan it? So…" Junko said, not understanding Monokuma's loophole.
"So sleepy! Just listening to you makes me wanna pass out! Be more like Nagito and get your poop together!" Monokuma said, now agitated at Junko, "Or else I'll charge you with criminal negligence!" He yelled angrily "No more questions! Figure out the rest by your own damn self!" He finished before vanishing.
"..." Junko just didn't bother to talk.
"Well, I know you are unfortunately currently lacking in mental faculties, so I'll fill you in myself. Lets head to the main hall." Nagito said suddenly.
"The main hall… why?" Junko asked.
"That'll help you understand what's going on." Nagito said
Forced to follow him Junko headed to the main hall with Nagito getting more disliking of his pushy attitude by the moment.
"Welp, we came to the main hall."
"So what are we exactly looking for here?" Junko asked.
"..." Nagito said nothing.
"Ok. Figure it out myself. Got it. Fuck you."
Junko glances around a bit not sure where to look exactly. Till something catches her eyes
"A mailbox… here? There's definitely got to be something inside."
Junko opens the box and looks inside
"Its… an e-handbook..no not just one…but three of them! Who'd put them in a mailbox of all things?"
"So you finally found them." Nagito said.
"Ok… How did you know these were here, Nagito?" Junko questioned.
"I happened to find them by chance myself the other day." Nagito replied "It seems there's a system in place where the handbooks of dead students get 'delivered' to this mailbox." He stated
"So then, these three handbooks belong to… Mikan, Komaru and Hiyoko?" Junko asked.
"You can go and confirm it yourself." Nagito said simply
"I immediately turned one on. And as i did…i was hit with…a few emotions…it displayed Mikan's Name…Mikan Tsumiki…I…"
"Y-You're right! This i-is Mikan's handbook!" Junko said, trying to fight off the emotions swirling within her.
"Now do you understand? This is the key to the loophole that i revealed earlier"
"Yeah… Actually, I get it now!" Junko nodded.
"You should pay closer attention to the regulations. The answer has been infront of you the entire time. 'Loaning your E-Handbook to another student is prohibited' Only the act of 'loaning' a handbook js prohibited. Borrowing someone else's is perfectly fine."
"I see…when you think of it like that it makes sense! Ugh…i should've seen it earlier!"
"Hm? Hold on a second." Nagito said taking a handbook.
"Hm? What is it?" Junko asked
"One of the handbooks… wont turn on." Nagito pointed out
"Is it broken?" Junko asked.
"The other handbook showed Hiyoko's name when I started it up. Then the one that won't turn on must be… Komaru's, right?" Junko asked
"It would make sense. After a, she did get torn to bits by those spears." Nagito said
"Torn to shreds… The memory of it came flooding back. That cruel punishment, which led to Komaru's death… The execution that the mastermind concocted… A cruel, heartless death…"
"You're right. It wouldn't be surprising for the handbook to break during that kind of assault."
And like summoned from their words…
"Hey, hey!" Monokuma sajd already looking angry "Hey hey hey hey hey!" He said showing out his claws "HEEEY!" he roared at them
"Ow jeez! What is it?! What do you want you furball?!" Junko asked, holding her ears.
"That E-Handbook is essential to student life here! Crucial, integral, instrumental, a super big deal! There's no way it would break that easily!" Monokuma said agitated
"Then why isn't it working?" Junko asked.
"If i say it wouldn't break, it wouldn't freakin break!" Monokuma yelled angrily "It can withstand up to ten tons of pressure, and it's waterproof up to a hundred meters, okay?!"
"Then why isn't it working?" Junko repeated.
"I don't care how many times it'd get hit by spears, it wouldn't do crap!"
"Then why isn't it–"
"SHUUUT UUUUUUP! It won't work because whoever had my amazing handbook last found its single weak point, okay?!" Monokuma yelled at Junko, having enough of her asking the same boring question over and over.
"A weak point? What is it?" Nagito immediately asked.
"No you don't, ya Ultra Instinct rip-off! That's a secret! A trade secret! I wouldn't want you to go breaking any more handbooks!" Monokuma said in clear agitation.
"Then Komaru must have broken it somehow without realizing what its weakness was, right?" Nagito asked.
"Hmm… hard to say. Given that I think in actuality, her handbook isn't actually 'broken' broken! But, you might ask, how could that be?!" Monokuma asked before disappearing.
"Leaving the question hanging in the air, Monokuma vanished yet a-fucking-gain.
"Well that just happened…" Junko asked, "Monokuma said it's not broken. But it's an undeniable fact that it's not turning on. Wonder why he's so fixated on saying it's not counting as broken, when clearly…"
Nagito nods as he crosses his arms, "I get what you mean. But I don't see any immediate connections to the case. I say it doesn't matter for the time being."
"You think so? Either way, this is still bothering me… not gonna let it go just because you do."
"Okay then, this should be enough to get things rolling." Nagito said smirking, "Let's begin our investigation in earnest and track down the true culprit."
"Yeah of course. We need to find out who killed Gundham!" Junko agreed with Nagito for once here.
"To be exact… not quite." Nagito said.
"Not quite? Ok now you're being more cryptic then Byakuya was in the first investigation!"
Junko then went up to face Nagito, her eyes locked on his.
"What the fuck do you mean by that, Nagito? 'To be exact… not quite'? The fuck, man?! Junko asked, nearly hissing at him.
"Certainly, I want to reveal Gundham's killer. But more precisely… I want to discover the true identity of our serial killer." Nagito stated firmly.
"Then you actually think that a serial killer… either copying or inspired by Genocide Jack is the one that killed Gundham?" Junko asked.
"Absolutely. I have no doubt that this Serial Killer is the culprit in this case." Nagito said
"A murderous fiend… that's who did it?" Junko asked to be sure.
"There's nothing else it could be." Nagito said, "A murderous fiend, who kills again and again using a bizarre and brutal method… Like a ghost, attacking suddenly then slipping away before the police can catch them. And one that we wouldn't know is in our very mists." He explained.
"One inspired or holding up THE Murderous Fiend himself Jack as an icon…" Junko surmises, "But come on… who'd believe the urban legend of a killer that's said to kill thousands of people? Still, could one of us really be a demented, psychotic killer just waiting to strike?" She wonders aloud.
"You're not wrong to wonder." Nagito said smiling
"But words kinda mean little right now." Junko replied.
"I have something that will prove it. And i can show you" Nagito simply said "And I have a basis to believe that. I assure you, the serial killer is one of us" Nagito said.
"Is there really proof?" Junko asked.
"There's somewhere I'd like to take you. That will provide all the evidence you need." Nagito concluded, "Evidence that the serial killer is one of us that killed Gundham!"
"Evidence…Is there…Does some conclusive evidence like that really…"
"Hey you two!" A voice called out
Junko and Nagito turned around and see Akane rushing to them
"Big trouble! Need your help!" Akane said
"We're busy. Leave us alone and bother someone else." Nagito coldly said.
"But it's an emergency! E-mer-gen-cy" akane stresses, "Come on you gotta help me!"
Junko went up to Akane quickly ignoring Nagito "An emergency? What happened?"
"Something's wrong with Mahiru. She's acting super strange!" Akane said
"Wait…strange? How so?"
"And what's your take Nagito?" Junko asked though not really caring what he says
"Since it's Mahiru… I must admit, I'm intrigued." Nagito said, "I suppose we can take a second to see what's going on with her."
"Wait really?" Junko asked surprised
"Don't make me repeat myself." Nagito said
"I actually thought he'd said no and I'd had to ditch him. Weird."
"Okay, come on, let's hurry!" Akane said running off.
"You can at least wait for us!" Junko yelled.
"It looks like she headed to the dorms. To Mahirus room, most likely." Nagito said
"Yeah true, ok let's go!" Junko said rushing off to the dorms
Once Junko and Nagito arrived the the dorms Junko went up to Akane
"You two are slow!" Akane said grumpy
"Or more like you're too fast." Junko mutters
"So what exactly is this emergency?" Nagito asked straight to the point
"Well, after what happened in the girls locker room, we left Mahiru in her room so she could lay down. After awhile, we came back to check on her. Ya know see how she was doing. But when we did it was… weird." She said nervously "She refused to come out, and she kept saying all this weird stuff."
"Weird stuff?" Junko asked
"We should try talking to her ourselves." Nagito replied
"Good idea…" Junko nodded in agreement approaching the door
"I might as well give it a shot."
*Ding dong*
"The door swung open slowly and slightly"
"..." Mahiru was silent as she stared at Junko
"Holy crap! I can feel the aura of emotional instability flowing out from behind the door, forcing a gasp out of me."
"W-What do you need?" Mahiru asked simply.
"Oh, nothing much. It's just that… Akane was really worried about you, holding yourself up in your room like that…" Junko replied.
"T-Thank you… but… please leave me alone for a bit… I… I…" Mahiru said as tears appeared in her eyes.
"I'll leave you alone sure But…could you open up, just for a sec for everyone?" Junko asked.
"...won't forgive him…" Mahiru said coldly.
"Huh?" Junko asked.
"I won't forgive him!" Mahiru said sharply before closing the door.
"And just like that, she closes the doke in my face."
"What was that about?" Junko asked, confused.
"She's been acting like that the whole time. When I rang a little while ago…" Akane answered.
"I'll make him pay… that monster… I'll make him pay for what he did…"
"It doesn't make any sense, right?" Akane asked "I was afraid to leave her there alone, so I tried to bust down her door..but it felt like something was holding it shut on the other side. I couldn't even budge it…" Akane mentioned.
"Mahiru was scared enough to even bar her door? Is she thinking the same thing as Nagito… that a serial killer among us really murdered Gundham? Is that why Mahiru is so scared?"
"Whatever it is, I'm really worried about her… isn't there anyone who might be able to persuade her?" Akane asked nervously
"I'll do it." Nagito said suddenly
"Huh? Nagito? What makes you think that Mahiru will listen to you?" Akane asked confused
"Trust me… she'll at least entertain me for a bit" Nagito said
"Nagito then silently went up to the door. And without hesitation rings the doorbell"
*Ding dong*
The door opens again as Mahiru peeks out.
"Please… I just need time alone… I-Im sorry…" Mahiru said before looking at Nagito clearly "Ahh! You?!"
"The name's Nagito. Not 'you'." Nagito replied smugly.
"W-What the hell are you doing here?! I'll uphold our deal… just get the fuck out of my sight. If I ever see you again… I'll hang you by your intestinal tract!" Mahiru said sharply.
"And with that, the door slammed shut again."
"Honestly… I think Nagito made it worse." Akane said simply
"There's nothing else we can do. Let's get back to the investigation." Nagito stated plainly.
"Hey, hang on! Nagito, what was Mahiru talking about just now? Something about a deal?" Junko asked.
"Hm? Oh, no idea. Probably just a delusion of hers, I'm sure." Nagito dismissed.
"But–" Junko tried to speak.
"If I say I don't know, I'm sorry but I really don't. Just let Akane take care of her." Nagito rudely interrupted.
"O-Oh… yeah, okay. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her." Akane said with a slight nod.
"Well, let's go then." Nagito said leaving.
"Without waiting for a reply, Nagito left. And I hurried to catch up."
"Nagito, wait up!" Junko yelled.
"I tried to talk to him several times as we walked…but he didn't even look back, let alone say anything. He just kept on walking towards his destination. Finally, his feet brought him to a stop in front of a certain room…"
"...The library?" Junko asked, looking at the library entrance.
"Come on, let's go in." Nagito said ignoring Junko
The two entered inside the library. Junko wasn't exactly sure where to look. After all, what could the library have? Then she saw Nagito's eyes seemingly looking at the door all the way to the back of the library. Junko looked at it
"If I remember, on the other side of this door.."
"Wait… this is the archive room?" Junko asked.
"Hurry up and go inside." Nagito urges.
"In here?" Junko questioned.
"It'll all make sense once you're inside." Nagito replied.
The two entered inside. Junko could see…that this room is jam packed.
"Holy! There's so many books, files and all sorts of shit!"
She then brushes her hand across one file…and it nearly becomes darkened by dirt and dust.
"EW! And so much dust!" Junko yelled, rubbing the dirt off her arm.
"I would say there's enough value in this place to endure the dust." Nagito said.
Junko looked around the room for some so many files and books to go through…where could she even- huh? She looked down and sees a wooden box
"An empty wooden box… and from the dust… something perhaps a plug? Or cord of some kind was inside…"
"What was it…?" Junko murmurs.
"There was an extension cord plugged in there. It proved very useful while I was in the library." Nagito explained.
"An extension cord huh?"
Junko then took note of a desk lap at the back of the room.
"A desk lamp, definitely the same one Nagito has been using in the library."
"Do you have a problem with the lamp?" Nagito asked suddenly, "It was here before, then I moved it over there. It's too dark over there, so I thought I'd put it to good use." he answers.
As Junko went to leave she saw a Monokuma coin sticking out under the lamp. She takes it and looks at the files.
"This shelf is stuffed with files. Without really thinking about it, I picked one at random."
"Ah, you have a sharp eye indeed to select that file." Nagito said suddenly.
"Eh?" Junko asked.
"That's the report on a presidential assassination. The original is kept at the national library. It won't be declassified for another thirty years. Are you sure you want to look at it now?" Nagito asked, "There's no telling who's crosshairs you might wind up in, if you were to peek at it."
"..." Junko said nothing.
"Without making a sound, I returned the file to the shelf."
Junko looked to the next shelf of files and books.
"There's so many files stuffed onto the shelf. What's in all of them?" Junko asked curiously.
"These documents are dangerous." Nagito said.
"Dangerous? Dangerous how?" Junko asked.
"They detail all the people who control the world from behind the scenes. Dangerous truth for a person like you." Nagito said.
"You mean, members of the Diet or something?" Junko asked.
"No, I mean the ones with real power, the secret council controlling everything from the shadows. If you're ready to disappear for it, take a look. There are some very… interesting people in there." Nagito said.
"You're kidding right?" Junko deadpans staring at him
"Am I?" Nagito asked smugly.
"I wanna call bullshit but… for now I'll let it go."
Junko then took a gander at the shelf Nagito was next to.
"There's a ton of thick files stuffed onto the bookshelf."
"If you're thinking of looking through any of them, let me give you a small warning. Those things are filled with graphic, disturbing photos from all kinds of crime scenes. It's the kind of thing any normal person wouldn't ever want to look at. Be careful…" Nagito said.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Junko asked.
"All those files there are investigation reports related to different cold cases. Those are internal documents, for police eyes only. They're not the kind of thing you'd expect to leak" Nagito said.
"Really?" Junko asked dumbfounded.
"If I may diverge from the investigation for a moment… Are you finally beginning to understand the true splendor of this library?" Nagito asked, "The entire reason I was interested in the library is because of this room right here. It's home to classified government documents, police records, and things no ordinary person would ever see. Isn't that magnificent?"
"This has to be an exaggeration right?" Junko asked slightly nervously.
"Gee, that's the problem with all of you. Anything that doesn't fit neatly in your preconceived reality, is labeled as a lie." Nagito said disappointed.
"Hey! I didn't say it was a lie! I'm not denying it, but like come on there's just so much. How could anyone have put all this together?" Junko asked.
"I suppose it goes to show how much power Hope's Peak truly wields. Or perhaps… the mastermind may have wanted to provide us with enough entertainment to keep us from getting bored." Nagito stated.
"Ok what? Ugh, fuck it. I can't keep up with this. It's just unreal nonsense!"
"What's wrong? You still can't believe it?" Nagito asked.
"Well how about you? How can you believe it so easily?! Things like that are impossible most of the time!" Junko snaps.
"What do you mean, most of the time? Usual? Normal, ordinary, simple? Those things don't exist anywhere in the real world. If you don't understand what they actually represent, you don't understand the nature of anything." Nagito said judgmentally.
"You don't pull your punches that's for sure…"
"Besides, what you consider 'usual' is based on your common sense, right?" Nagito asked "But what makes you think your own 'common sense' applies to me at all? The documents gathered here are genuine. I have reviewed them multiple times, so there is no doubt."
"Wait a minute! You're saying you've read all these documents, and more than once?!" Junko asked bewildered, "But you just said it has to be top secret, confidential shit right? So why risk it yourself?" Junko questioned.
"Because of my luck, that's why." Nagito plainly said, "My luck is the stuff of legends."
"H-Huh?" Junko asked.
"My luck allows me to always be able to do things that for most normal people would be impossible." Nagito explained.
"How?" Junko asked.
"Simply put. I don't fear death because my luck will allow me to not face any consequences directly to myself. Though I can't say the same about others near me…" Nagito said.
"Ok… this is beyond believing or not believing this shit. Nagito is actually terrifying me more than the mastermind is at this point…"
"And what I was so fortunate to stumble upon while in here is a certain kind of file. One that beyond all doubt is something of true interest."
"As he talked, Nagito grabbed a specific file from the shelf."
"This is a file, one of very special importance. For it contains a specific type of report regarding a group of Hope's Peak Academy students." Nagito said.
"H-Huh? What do you mean by a group of Hope's Peak Academy students?" Junko asked.
"The kinds of students that, if made publicly known, would paint a very unfortunate light on Hope's Peak financial resources." Nagito said, "If you really want to know, you can check for yourself." He started off-handedly tossing the file to Junko who catched it.
"A file that would paint an unfortunate light on Hope's Peak finances? What does he mean? I… guess I should look."
Junko looks inside…
"Looking through the file Nagito tossed at me… my body became tense. And suddenly I stopped as I got to a specific page."
The Reserve Course Program
The Reserve Course Department is an institution for talentless students who could earn an education at the famed Hope's Peak by paying a huge fee. Around several hundreds of thousands of Yen to attend. Students in the reserve course must meet mandatory attendance unlike Talented students. And will function as a normal school environment for them.
"I-I… What? A… an entire program made to let non Ultimate students into the academy by paying such a near ungodly amount of money?!"
"Now take a look at the next page, and you'll find some interesting bits of information regarding this program." Nagito said smiling
"The next page?" Junko asked
"Incident reports?"
"2 murders have happened in the Reserve Course Department after months of its beginning. The victims were bludgeoned to death by a blow to the head."
"The key point here is that the culprit may well be someone completely average."
"Someone completely average? Like a normal non talented person you mean. So someone utterly normal and unremarkable. Gah, this sounds so unbelievable! Yet my current situation in this whole school is unbelievable, so who am I to question it? …My mind's going numb."
"Alright, let's get going." Nagito said
"Huh? Where are we going?" Junko asked
"Anywhere but here. We've finished our business here, haven't we?" Nagito asked
"Hey wait up Nagito!" Junko yelled following after him.
"As is starting to become usual with this asshat, Nagito turned and left without another word. I hurried out of the library to catch up."
As they left the library Nagito turned to Junko, "Well I'm sorry to say this is where we part ways. I have some things I need to take care of before the class trial."
"Huh? Just now all of a sudden like that you're leaving?" Junko asked incredulously.
"Come on, enough of your misapprehensions. Did you really think we'd be working together the whole time?" Nagito remarked, "Take responsibility for yourself and do something useful. Move the investigation forward and find that hope on your own. Well… goodbye." Nagito finished leaving Junko alone.
"And just like that, he was gone. Just as suddenly as he asked me to join, he cut me off. I definitely was some play thing being tossed around for his amusement wasn't I? Still I did uncover some really important clues thanks to him… The Reserve Course Student… He or she is the one that killed Gundham. And that serial killer… is one of us! But who is it?"
"I have to find out, no matter what it takes. And to do that, there's somewhere I have to go to investigate one more time! I have to go back to the crime scene, the girls locker room, then I need to check the boy's locker room as well. And the others might have come up with some info I might find useful, while I'm at it. I need to find everything I can!"
Junko turns around and decides to head to the pool room entrance. Opening the door she sees Teruteru who looked like he might've found something
"Ding ding ding! Ring the dinner bell for the Ultimate Chef has discovered evidence that could reveal the identity of the culprit!" Teruteru boasted, "Hm…a great boost to my reputation~"
"Evidence? What did you find?" Junko asked
"I cannot reveal that just yet… but when I do, the killer is gonna have the air knocked right outta their lungs!" Teruteru claims
"I wanna believe that, but… I just can't."
"Oh also! Peko said she'd witnessed something worthwhile, as well." Teruteru informed
"Really? What did she see?" Junko asked.
"She, uh… refused to tell me. I-I'm sure she's just playing hard to get because she likes me, right? …Right?" Teruteru asked no longer as confident.
Junko's eyes looked like dots as she stared blankly at Teruteru, "Whatever helps you sleep at night… So where's Peko now?"
"The warehouse by the dorms. She was there, well most like near it when I last checked" Teruteru said.
"So she either left or went inside…"
Junko decided to leave Teruteru be and headed to the boy's locker room first. It felt kinda weird for her to be in there… but at the same time she needed to investigate the one place she hasn't looked around in. With a clearer head, she was able to spot a detail in the room that was… odd.
"Huh? That poster is of the popular boy band Tornado. Doesn't really fit in the boy's locker room if you asked me."
Looking down, Junko spots another bit of evidence.
"That's a strange stain on the carpet. What is it…? I should probably ask someone before I assume anything."
Junko, not seeing much else in there, left the boys' locker room and went to the girls one immediately. She headed up to Byakuya who was on the other side now compared to earlier, "Hey Byakuya! Have you made any progress on your investigation?"
"Generally speaking, yes. But I have to get going. I apologize but I have something unrelated to take care of." Byakuya said.
"Something besides the investigation? What could it be?" Junko inquires
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just concentrate on the murder." Byakuya told Junko
"But, uh–" Junko tried to speak.
"Before I go, let me give you one piece of advice. You should examine Gundham's body one more time. Thoroughly. Also his handbook is missing. You might want to determine its whereabouts. That's it. I'll be praying for your success."
"With that, Byakuya turned and left the girls locker room."
"So check the body again… and…" Junko mutters.
"And Gundhams handbook is missing? That's something worth thinking about."
Junko puts her eyes on Gundhams body and checks it out
"Byakuya said I should examine the body one more time."
"I know he said 'thoroughly' but I do have my limits…" Junko utters to herself, "..well let's give it a shot anyhow." She declared to herself and started looking.
"Gundhams hands are bound together… with what looks like rope? Wait no, that's not rope! I can see the plug hanging off the middle. And that's not the only thing that has my eyes either. Gundams fatal injury was a blow to the head. Which means someone struck him in the head to kill him. Sure, the Reserve Course File says there was an incident where two students of the course died from bludgeoning."
"But those wounds were more likely from a baseball bat or a bat in general. Here it was a dumbbell… What does that mean? All that ties it all together is the true nature of the 'rope' that was used to suspend Gundham. And to figure that out, there's a certain place I need to revisit and look over again. Plus it might help to go over the reserve course files again…"
Junko takes a step away from Gundhams body and takes note of something… near him.
"It's the bloodstain poster. The blood is the most noteworthy part, but the big-breasted swimsuit model is pretty noticeable, as well. A girl's locker room isn't usually the place you'd find something like this."
"Oh yeah and the boy's locker room has a boy band!" Junko said to herself.
"That's right! There's definitely something strange about this In the boy's locker room, a poster of a popular boy band. In the girl's locker room there's a poster of a big-breasted swimsuit model! Someone must've switched where the posters were placed! But why? What purpose does that give you?"
"Someone who knows more about locker rooms than me may know." Junko mutters
Junko immediately turned her gaze to Nekomaru.
"You spend a lot of time exercising in the boy's locker room, right Nekomaru?" Junko asked
"I've used it nearly every day since it opened up. Sometimes Fuyuhiko and I use it together, or Akane would train in the girls locker room and we'd compare results." Nekomaru explains.
"Okay then, let me ask you something. Do you think the posters in the boys and girls locker rooms could've been switched at all?" Junko inquires.
"Hm, now that you mentioned it… that poster over there looks like it was in the boy's locker room, but I can't say definitely. I didn't pay attention to the posters too much. …Only occasionally." Nekomaru said looking down.
"I see… Thanks at least." Junko said kindly.
"But there is something that's been bothering me about the locker room… Akane told me she was drinking some coffee of some kind while exercising."
"Wait, we can make coffee here?" Junko asked, a little intrigued.
"In the warehouse there's coffee ingredients. Akane said it's not the highest quality but it's good for what it's worth." Nekomaru explained, "She downs a glass to get her extra pumped for exercising during the mornings. The other day, she told me she spilled some on the carpet in the girls locker room, and it left a stain."
"A stain… yet the carpet here doesn't have any stains on it now." Junko said in thought.
"Exactly. She and I noticed it earlier. In her words, the stain basically disappeared." Nekomaru stated, "I guess someone, likely Monokuma, came and cleaned it up. But still, isn't it unusually clean? As if there was never a stain to begin with."
Junko headed out and back to the library to check out something. When she arrived inside she spotted something peculiar.
"Huh? The lamp won't turn on? Oh, it's not plugged in. The actual cord isn't long enough to reach the outlet from here but last time I saw it, it was on, and it was right here. …Ohhh, because Nagito was using an extension cord! Duh! But there's no extension cord now… I wonder…"
Junko headed in the archive and went to look at the reserve course file.
"Ok it should be here… Wait… it's gone! Someone took it out of the archive! The only person to do that is Nagito… but why?"
Confused and sighing, Junko left the library and headed over to where Peko was… at least what Teruteru said she'd be att. Heading downstairs past the hall and into the dorms area, she headed over to the warehouse. Another place she's yet to see. She might have a look around while looking for Peko if she's in there of course. Junko opens the door and heads inside, where she is greeted by a fairly large and somewhat massive room. Full of boxes and items. Food, drinks, items for cleaning and more. This place practically has it all! And in front of the two big shelves holding lots of items was none other than Peko herself.
"Peko what are you doing here?" Junko questioned.
"The warehouse has everything we might need to live a full life. Meaning it could have something to help us with investigations and perhaps tools to prevent future murders." Peko said.
"That's actually not a bad idea… but have you found anything related to the case?" Junko asked
"I figured you'd asked." Peko said.
"So you found something? Anything at all?" Junko pressed.
"Yes I have. And I'll tell you this, and only you. Last night, I saw him here. Gundham was in the warehouse." Peko said
"Really?! Here!?" Junko said shocked.
"This was right before nighttime."
"Hm? What are you doing out this late?" Peko asked Gundham.
"Hm. I was going to practice some spells." Gundham replied.
"Spells? With that much food? Where?" Peko questioned him.
"The food is of no concern. If it brings your wayward soul at ease, I am heading to the pool to practice my spells." Gundham said.
"Well…be careful out there, Gundham. And dont forget to prepare for those 24 hours to be up." Peko reminded him
"..." Gundham said nothing as he left quickly.
"He seemed to have tried to hide the food in his jacket. It was strange. And he was gone just like that. I just assumed he was going to do his typical stuff involving his 'spells' and such. But it would appear he ignored the nighttime rule, and headed directly to the locker rooms." Peko said, "I wonder why he went against the rule to be out so late… I suppose the old me would've said he deserved it. But now I feel saddened that he died. Whatever the reason."
"So… he went to the locker rooms… to the guys I'm guessing in order to practice spells without anyone knowing. But the strange thing is… there was no trace of the food items or where he'd kept them that Peko said she saw Gundham carrying. Which would mean the killer would have gotten rid of it somehow."
"Something's still bothering me about the locker rooms…that i should actually check now…"
Junko headed upstairs back to the locker room. And this time I looked at the bloodtrail leading to the door. She opens the door slightly and peaks. Seeing the bloodtrail lead further into the pool room. Chiaki, who was still in the room with Hajime, decided to join Junko as they both looked around the room.
"There's a big blood splatter near the pool's edge..and… do I hear panicked squeaking?"
Junko looks around as Chiaki seems to also hear the same thing. After a few seconds of searching
"Junko over here!" Chiaki called out.
Junko headed over to Chiaki to see what she found… and it was… four hamsters. Each looking afraid and scared.
"Hamsters?" Junko asked.
"These must be Gundham's uhm… What did he call them? Oh yeah, 'The Four Dark Devas of Destruction!' Apparently they're like his… really close pets." Chiaki explained.
"Explains why they were in his scarf during breakfast that one time… but why are they here? And why do they look so terrified?"
"You think they… they could be evidence?" Chiaki asked.
"I… I maybe… I don't know… for now, let's just keep them with us." Junko said softly, petting one of them.
The two girls looked around some more. Not finding much of note before heading back to the girls locker room. As they went by Fuyuhiko who was at the entrance… the Devas suddenly started acting aggressive
"W-Woah! They're getting feisty now!" Junko yelp as one of them jumped from her and onto Fuyuhiko, biting at him.
"Arg! You bloody rodent!" Fuyuhiko yelled, annoyed yet not making an effort to get the hamster off himself. Chiaki had to pry it off him.
"What was that about?" Junko asked.
"I don't know… but it seems they don't like Fuyuhiko much…" Chiaki murmurs in thought.
They both left the locker room. With Chiaki keeping hold of the 4 Devas while Junko headed downstairs. This time heading to check the dining hall in case anything or anyone was there inside she finds Akane
"Oh, Akane. How's Mahiru doing?" Junko asked
"Same as before. She won't come out, and she keeps on mumbling something about him and making him pay and all that." Akane said "So i kinda just left her there." Akane smiles nervously
"You… left her…?" Junko asked deadpan
"My head was all swimmy, and I was getting hungry… Oh, but don't worry! I'm gonna head back as soon as I'm done eating! Mahirus not exactly pleasant right now, but I'm still worried about her." Akane said smiling.
"What are you eating by the way?" Junko asked
"Meat of course!" Akane said firmly
"Of course…"
"The two things that are the greatest creations. Space and food!" Akane smiles
"Really?" Junko asked rolling her eyes
"I bet Gundham would've loved some of the food Teruteru could've whipped up… I should've spent time with him…" Akane said regretfully.
"Come to think of it… Who did he spend time with?" Junko inquires.
"Yeah, he was a little strange. Didn't really hang out with other people much..It was like… Like he was trying to keep his distance from all of us." Junko nodded
"Nekomaru said something similar. He said that even though he, Fuyuhiko, or even you invited Gundham to hang out and exercise with you, he always refused…" Junko mentions.
"Yup, it's true. And it wasn't just us, either. It was like he stayed away from everyone else period." Akane pointed out.
"Was he shy?" Junko asked.
"I dunno, he talked to someone all the time. Isn't kind of weird to be talking to someone that isn't anyone else here and be shy around everyone else but totally fine with…whoever he was talking to?" Akane asked "Oh wait! Maybe he was just used to dealing with one person at a time. The law says you cant judge a book by its cover, right?" Akane asked looking like she was thrilled with the idea she came up with
"You think so? I don't think he has issue talking to multiple people at once if he wanted to."
*Ding dong, Bing bong*
"Erm, so ah…I'm getting tired of waiting. Shall we just plunge right in? It's the moment you've all been waiting for… the class trial! You remember where to meet, right? Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school! Puhuhu! See you soon!" Monokuma announced.
"Begin the class trial, or…?"
"It's about to begin…" Junko sighs.
"How about you grab Mahiru for me, Junks?" Akane said, "It's okay. I'll let the others know you'll be late again."
"Heh, sure. At least I have two alibis this time." Junko said as she flashed a peace sign.
Both girls left the dining hall and immediately, Junko went to check on Mahiru one more time, and Akane headed over to the main hallway.
Junko went straight to Mahiru's dorm and rang the doorbell.
Ding dong!
"Come on… answer…"
"I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry…!" Mahiru's voice was heard as she opened the door ever so slightly, "...huh? Junko?"
"I hate to bother you when you're in such a sorry state, but we need to head to the trial area." Junko got straight to the point, "Who knows what stupid rule Monokuma will make up that says you have to show up to the stupid thing? And frankly, I don't want him having that kind of–"
"If he's there too, you can forget it!" Mahiru snapped at Junko, "Did you ever think that I'd rather be punished than ever come within 10 feet of him?!"
"Hey, calm down, will ya? This isn't for whoever made that deal with you! It's about Gundham, and who killed him!"
"I told you I'm not going and I fucking MEANT IT!" Mahiru screamed out. Junko expected this and moved her hand to Mahiru's door, intending to push it open and Mahiru backwards, "Listen to me, you bit–"
But instead of any of those happening…
SLAM!
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"JUNKO!" Mahiru screamed again, this time out of concern as she opened her door all the way.
Junko fell to the floor, her right hand holding her left fingers as they seemed to swell in pain and pressure. Her knuckles had scrapes on them, turning a slight red/pink from the blood. Her pained groans were all that came out of her mouth.
"What have I done?! H-Hold still!" Mahiru said as she ran back inside her room. Then she came back to the hallway and took Junko's hand, the one she slammed her door onto moments before. She wrapped a few bandages around Junko's hand, enough wraps to cover her knuckles and stop any sort of bleeding, "I-I'm not your nurse friend, but I hope this is enough to help the swelling and bleeding."
"Nnnnngh…" Junko groaned and took a few breaths, "Haa… haa… haa…"
"..." Mahiru looked down at the floor, "This… this wasn't the first time I hurt you, was it?"
"Haa… haa…" Junko panted and said nothing.
"...again… I hurt someone due to my own insecurities… I thought I'd moved past this when he was finally out of my life… But look where that got me…"
"Haa… haa… haa…" Junko did absolutely nothing. But Mahiru rambled on, "I'm no better than either of them… I want to live out my life the way I want to, one where everyone can get along, the pictures of smiles from everyone I meet… but that's not gonna happen any time soon… Ironic that I'm the one keeping that from happening… I hurt everyone around me, whether I try to or not… Whoever killed Gundham… should've killed me too… Hell, Mikan should've targeted me instead of–"
SLAP!
"Gah!" Mahiru yelped again. Junko's bangs covered her eyes in a black shadow, her unharmed right hand having slapped the redhead pessimist across the face. Mahiru's eyes widened, "J-Jun–"
"Are you done throwing your pointless, meaningless pity party, Koizumi?" Junko asked with a hint of unyielding rage in her tone.
"Meaningless…? B-But I–"
"Even after the living hell you put me through by falsely accusing me of being Mikan's killer, I pushed forward for her… I push past her betrayal for her… Everyone that died here, I carry with me in my heart. Here the fuck you are, with nothing but pointless grudges and meaningless squabbles that mean abso-fucking-lutely nothing now! You really think anyone cares who hurt you or who the fuck he is? What everyone's 'bothering' you about is literal life or death stakes here! But noooo! You wanna stay here in your room and complain about every little thing that so much as mildly inconveniences you! You're somehow convinced that you're a goddess who can do and say anything you want without any consequences whatsoever! Well you're not! And you never will be!" Junko went on and on with no restraint, no signs of stopping to take a breath, "You think that's remotely fair to everyone who will DIE at the slightest mistake that YOU make? You may not give a fuck about us, but everyone around you is fighting for their lives! Killer, victim, the innocent bystanders that have to go to trial and pinpoint which of our friends killed another friend! All you've even remotely cared about was if your life will end here, but god forbid if you have to fight for all our lives too! Didn't you just fucking say that you want to have a life full of smiles and good times? You're never gonna get that if you keep pinning the blame on everyone around you, including your own bitchass self! And after being betrayed by the only friend a freak like me has ever had before coming here, I've had my fill of empty promises from the likes of you!"
"..." Mahiru looked at Junko in silence. Never has she seen Junko so… done with her… even during the last trial, she seemed to have some hope left, enough to push her forward at least. The woman scolding Mahiru now was a completely different person than when they first met, and that was before the killing game mess she was forced into.
But then, when Junko looked up at Mahiru with that very same hatred… she saw it. A woman who was barely keeping her life together after all that happened… someone who forced herself to fight a battle she can't win alone… a nearly broken girl who, if pushed a certain way, could end the world and everyone around her if she wanted.
Mahiru hated a lot of things throughout her life… but none as white-hot as the hatred she had for herself… for breaking Junko Enoshima to her very core, whether she meant to or not.
"You know what…? Don't bother showing up. I'll hold you in my heart and carry you with Mikan, Komaru, Hiyoko, and now Gundham. But whatever punishment you get from the bucket of bolts is your own damn fault." Junko said as emotionlessly as possible and stood up from the floor.
Junko turned around to leave Mahiru to her fate… but was suddenly stopped from her shoulders being grabbed from behind, "Huh?"
"You really think that little of me? Can't say I blame you." Mahiru said as she rested her head on Junko's back, "How can I… when that thing is responsible for all of this? For every death that's happened so far… It's tough to accept the possibility of people like us killing each other, even if we were strangers the first time. But like everyone here said before… we have to move forward. And I can't do that if I push everyone around me away, like I only care about myself."
Junko felt some life returning as she listened to Mahiru coming to terms with herself. Her dull eyes gained life in them again as she looked back slightly, not moving yet so as to not make Mahiru move too much. But as she stood in silence, she felt a small smile form on her face.
"You're right about one thing. There are more lives at stake than just my own. I have to fight for them. That's… really all I can even hope to do." Mahiru spoke again after a little bit. After taking a moment to collect herself again, Mahiru moved away and moved in front of Junko, "And… there's a certain someone I'd like to get payback on, too. Can't even do that locked up in my own little fantasy world, can I?"
Despite not understanding what that meant, Junko was happy she got to see Mahiru perked up too, almost reminding her of when they first met before this strange situation got started. She turned and walked forward, "Let's go, then. We kept everyone waiting more than long enough."
"...Right!" Mahiru follows Junko to the main hall with some pep in her step.
Meanwhile, Akane stood in front of the red door, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, "I can do this… My life, and the lives of all my friends are on the line… I can't afford to screw this up… And I won't!"
Akane headed to the door and opened it, entering with most of the other students plus Monokuma eagerly awaiting everyone, "Sorry I'm late. I grabbed a pretty big feast before I arrived.
"I certainly hope you enjoyed your last meal. Well, potentially… Anyway, is everyone ready to– whaaat?!" Monokuma asked as he noticed something off, "Am I blind or are we still missing someone?"
"Yeah, Mahiru's not here." Fuyuhiko said.
"J-Junko-chan isn't here, either!" Ibuki said, freaking out.
"Junko, I kinda expected. But Mahiru is… uh…?" Monokuma asked.
"You really don't remember?" Kazuichi asked somewhat baffled.
Monokuma just laughed it off, "Ah-hahahahaha! Kidding! I'm just kidding. How could I forget that nutjob? She's a crucial part of this trial this time! Okie dokie, I'll go ahead and drag her out here kicking and screami–"
"No need, furball! We're right here!" Junko's voice caught everyone, even Monokuma, off guard as she came inside the room.
"Junks! Mahiru!" Akane said with a big grin on her face, "Boy am I glad to see you guys!"
"I see you convinced Mahiru to leave her quarters, if only momentarily." Peko commended Junko.
Mahiru walked forward to everyone, "Sorry for troubling everyone again… I know I'm practically useless this time, but don't be afraid to ask for my input on anything."
"You sure you want to be saying stuff like that, Mahiru? You did say you were useless, due to not being part of the investigation." Nagito pointed out.
"Oh hush, you! Like you don't believe in anything that doesn't involve how lucky the Ultimate Lucky Student can be." Mahiru scolded with her hands on her hips.
"Save it for the trial, will ya?" Nagito said before turning away from Mahiru.
"...I wonder if anyone else got a sense of Deja Vu when he said that."
"Huh, wonder what that's about… More importantly, NOW everyone's here! Right?" Monokuma asked. When he made the head count in his head, he raised his arms up towards the elevator, "Okay then, hustle onto the elevator and let's get this show on the road! I'll see you guys down there!" Monokuma giggles before disappearing.
"So, shall we get going? It's time to find out who killed Gundham." Peko spoke up to her fellow classmates.
"Gundham… Gundham Tanaka… I didn't know him well… Hell, he weirded me out honestly… but he didn't seem like the guy you'd want to kill… and judging by Chiaki and the Hamsters he had… The guy was truly a loving animal person. Someone made the choice to… to kill a man like that. And the murderer… is one of us. Someone standing right with us!"
Junko looked at the elevator entrance, almost unenthusiastically like she did before, "...Hm."
"We have no choice, right? We have to do this." Mahiru asked around, knowing the answer.
"Unfortunately, yes." Byakuya said in agreement.
"I gave a small nod in reply. With one last deep breath, I walked toward the elevator on shaky legs. With each step forward, I could feel my heart starting to race faster and faster. As soon as everyone was on… the elevator began to descend."
"I couldn't get a handle on my emotions, couldn't stop speculating… The steel box sank with heavy clunking sounds deeper and deeper into the ground. And as we went deeper, the uneasiness in my heart grew bigger and bigger. The elevator was unaffected, however, and continued to descend without hesitation. Until finally… it has reached its destination."
The elevator doors opened as the students stepped out. The courtroom looked a little different this time.
"What do you think? I redecorated! Isn't it so fresh? Isn't it so EXCITING?!" Monokuma asked enthusiastically.
"Don't waste our time with stupid questions. Let's get this over with." Nagito said straight to the point.
"Good, good, you're rip-raring to go! Gotta say, I don't hate it! Not at all! Okay then, let's get this show on the road!" Monokuma declared eagerly "Everyone, please find your assigned seats!" He yelled out
Everyone took their seats.
"And just like before, the curtain closes on our normal day… and opens once again on another deadly fate. Another deadly judgment… Another deadly deception… Another deadly betrayal… Another deadly riddle, another deadly defense, another deadly faith… Another deadly… Class trial!"